Heating Tune-Up

In Austin, heating equipment sits idle most of the year. Then the first cold front arrives and every furnace and heat pump in town is asked to run at once. By then dust has settled on the burners and heat strips, capacitors have cooked in a hot attic all summer, and small problems pick the worst night to show up.

A heating tune-up from Gold Eagle Services (TACLA119235) finds those problems while it is still mild outside. Our technicians clean and test the parts your system uses only in winter, check the safety controls, and tell you what they found.

For the full list and why each item matters, read What’s Included in an HVAC Tune-Up? in our Resource Center.

Six things you can do yourself before the first cold front. They help the system and make the tune-up visit go faster:

• Clear the vents. Pull furniture and rugs off supply registers and return grilles, and vacuum the dust off the returns.
• Change the filter. Disposable filters usually need replacing every 1 to 3 months, and monthly with pets or heavy use. Some homes have a filter at each return grille as well as at the unit.
• Run the heat before you need it. A faint burning-dust smell the first time is normal and fades within minutes. If it is strong or won’t go away, turn the system off and call us.
• If it won’t turn on, check the breaker, the thermostat batteries and the power switch at the unit before you call.
• Check the outside pipes. High-efficiency furnaces have plastic exhaust and intake pipes. Keep them clear of leaves, nests and debris.
• Note the brand and model number from the unit’s data plate. It helps our technician come prepared.

Older system and not sure it will make it through another winter? Compare heat pump and dual fuel options with Build Your System, or read Can a Heat Pump Keep Up With a Texas Freeze?

September through November, before the first cold snap. A heat pump works in both seasons, so plan a spring visit for cooling and a fall visit for heating.

Our Home Maintenance Plan puts your heating and air conditioning on a regular schedule, so nobody has to remember. Heating season also runs into Austin’s cedar season: check today’s pollen and air readings on our Austin Air Quality Index and time your filter changes around it.

We show you what we found and give you options. Small repairs can often be handled during the visit; bigger ones we schedule with you. If a larger repair turns up on an older system, we will lay out the repair-or-replace trade-off side by side. See our heating repair services for more.

If replacement makes sense, you can build your system online to compare a gas furnace, a heat pump and a dual fuel setup and see an estimate before anyone visits.

What a heating tune-up costs depends on:

• The type of system (gas furnace, heat pump or dual fuel)
• How many systems your home has
• Whether the visit is part of a Home Maintenance Plan
• Attic or closet access

For tune-up pricing, call 512-489-4653 or schedule online, and we will get your furnace or heat pump checked before the first cold front. Members of our home maintenance plan get their heating tune-up as part of the plan.

Getting ready for winter? These Resource Center guides go deeper on tune-ups, heat pumps in a cold snap, gas safety at home and dry winter air.

• What’s Included in an HVAC Tune-Up?
• Can a Heat Pump Keep Up With a Texas Freeze?
• Home Health and Safety: Key Hazards Every Homeowner Should Know
• Why Winter Air Feels Dry, and What Helps

See every guide in the Resource Center