Spring HVAC maintenance checklist for contractors

Every spring, the same thing happens. The first 85-degree day hits and your phone explodes. Half the calls are systems that would have been fine if someone had looked at them six weeks earlier. The other half are customers who forgot they own an air conditioner until it stopped working.

If you're an HVAC contractor, spring maintenance is one of the best revenue opportunities of the year. It's predictable, it's schedulable, and it feeds your summer pipeline. But a lot of contractors treat tune-ups as filler work between installs. That's a mistake.

Here's the checklist I've seen the most successful shops use, along with some notes on how to price it and turn one-time tune-ups into recurring maintenance agreements.

The outdoor unit (condenser) checklist

Start outside. This is where most spring problems live because the unit has been sitting through months of weather.

1. Clear debris. Leaves, grass clippings, cottonwood fluff, whatever the yard threw at it over the winter. Pull anything within 2 feet of the unit.
2. Inspect the condenser coils. Look for bent fins, dirt buildup, and damage from ice or hail. Straighten fins with a fin comb if needed. If the coils are dirty, clean them with a coil cleaner and low-pressure water (never a pressure washer).
3. Check the fan motor and blades. Spin the fan by hand. Listen for grinding or scraping. Check the blade for cracks.
4. Inspect the electrical connections. Tighten any loose connections. Look for signs of arcing, burned wires, or corrosion on the contactor.
5. Test the capacitor. A weak capacitor is the most common spring failure. Test it with a multimeter. If it's more than 10% off its rated microfarads, replace it now rather than waiting for the emergency call in July.
6. Check the refrigerant lines. Inspect the insulation on the suction line. Look for oil stains that indicate a slow leak.
7. Level the pad. Frost heave can shift the condenser pad over winter. If it's more than a few degrees off level, shim it or re-level the pad.

The indoor unit checklist

Most homeowners assume "tune-up" means the outdoor unit. The indoor side matters just as much, and it's where you find the stuff that actually affects comfort and efficiency.

1. Replace or clean the air filter. This sounds obvious. You'd be amazed how many techs skip it because "the homeowner should be doing that." Sure. They should. They don't. Check it, change it, note the size so you can sell them a filter subscription.
2. Inspect the evaporator coil. If accessible, check for ice formation, dirt buildup, and mold. A dirty evaporator coil can drop efficiency by 20-30%.
3. Check the condensate drain. Run water through it. If it drains slowly or backs up, clear it with a wet/dry vac or a drain gun. A clogged condensate drain is the number one cause of water damage from HVAC systems.
4. Test the blower motor. Check amp draw against the nameplate. Listen for bearing noise. Check the blower wheel for buildup.
5. Inspect the ductwork (accessible sections). Look for disconnected joints, crushed flex duct, and obvious air leaks. You're not doing a full duct inspection here, just catching the easy stuff.
6. Check the thermostat. Verify it switches from heat to cool properly. Check the batteries if it's battery-powered. Make sure the programming makes sense for the season.

System performance checks

After you've gone through the physical inspection, run the system and measure what it's actually doing.

1. Measure temperature split. Check supply and return air temps. You're looking for a 15-22 degree split on most residential systems. Outside that range and something needs attention.
2. Check refrigerant charge. Measure superheat and subcooling. Don't just slap gauges on and look at pressures. Pressures alone don't tell you much without knowing the outdoor ambient and indoor wet bulb.
3. Amp draw on compressor. Compare to the nameplate rated load amps (RLA). If it's pulling more than 10% over RLA, the compressor is working harder than it should.
4. Check the voltage. Measure at the disconnect. Low voltage (more than 10% below nameplate) kills compressors and capacitors faster than anything else.

How to price spring tune-ups

This is where most contractors either leave money on the table or price themselves out of the market. Here's what I'm seeing in 2026:

Market type	Basic tune-up	Comprehensive tune-up
Rural / small town	$79 - $99	$129 - $159
Suburban / mid-market	$99 - $129	$149 - $199
Urban / high cost of living	$129 - $169	$199 - $249

The difference between "basic" and "comprehensive" is the system performance checks. Basic is the physical inspection and cleaning. Comprehensive includes refrigerant charge verification, amp draws, and a written report.

Use the HVAC pricing calculator to figure out what your tune-up needs to cost based on your actual overhead and labor rates. Also check the contractor rates tool to see what other HVAC shops in your area are charging.

Turning tune-ups into maintenance agreements

A one-time spring tune-up is worth $100-200. A maintenance agreement is worth $200-400 per year, and it comes back every year without you spending a dime on marketing. That math is pretty straightforward.

The best time to sell a maintenance agreement is when you're already at the house doing the tune-up. You've just demonstrated competence. The customer trusts you. They're thinking about their HVAC system for the only time this year.

Here's a structure that works well:

• Two visits per year: Spring AC tune-up, fall heating tune-up.
• Priority scheduling: Agreement customers get bumped to the front of the line during peak season. This is the real value for the customer, and it costs you nothing.
• Discount on repairs: 10-15% off parts and labor. This makes the agreement feel like it pays for itself even if they only need one small repair per year.
• No overtime charges: For agreement customers during normal business hours. Again, costs you very little but feels like a big perk.

Price the agreement at 1.5x to 2x your single tune-up rate. If your tune-up is $129, the annual agreement should be $199-$259. The customer gets two visits plus the perks for less than buying two tune-ups separately. You get guaranteed recurring revenue.

Scheduling the spring rush

Don't wait for the phones to ring. Start marketing spring tune-ups in late February or early March, well before the first warm day. Send postcards, emails, texts, whatever you've got. Target last year's tune-up customers first.

Block out tune-up slots on your schedule rather than fitting them around other work. This keeps your techs efficient (they can knock out 4-6 tune-ups per day when they're not bouncing between installs and service calls) and it makes the revenue more predictable.

One more thing: keep a running list of what you find at each house. Worn capacitors, aging compressors, duct problems. That list becomes your summer and fall sales pipeline. The tune-up isn't just revenue today. It's the lead generation for your bigger jobs later.

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