Whole-System Services
HVAC Maintenance and Seasonal Tune-Ups in Oakland County
A heating check before winter and a cooling check before summer help catch small faults before they turn into breakdowns. Our family-owned crew does HVAC maintenance one visit at a time: we show up on time, tell you what we found and never invent work.
Tell us what it is doing. We will tell you straight what happens next.
- Fall and spring tune-ups
- Honest findings, no pressure
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed
HVAC maintenance in Oakland County, one season at a time
Heating and cooling equipment often gives warning before it fails. An igniter's readings change as it weakens. A capacitor drifts out of range. A drain line slows before it blocks. Nobody sees those signs unless someone opens the cabinet and measures. That is what an HVAC tune-up is: cleaning, testing and looking, done before the season that will work the equipment hardest.
Maverick Heating and Cooling is a family-owned business that has looked after heating and cooling systems in Oakland County for 7 years. Each tune-up is a single visit. You call when it is due and one of our crew of four arrives on time. Afterward you get a plain account of what we cleaned, what we measured and anything that is wearing out, with a price if it needs attention. Whether to act on it is up to you.
What to watch for
Signs your system should not wait for its next tune-up
A tune-up is for a system that is working. These call for a repair visit now.
It starts, stops and starts again
Short cycling wears parts quickly. Change the filter first. If it keeps happening, something is overheating, icing up or losing its signal, and it needs diagnosing.
A new noise
Squealing, grinding, a bang at start-up or a loud buzz outdoors all mean a part is in trouble. It is better dealt with while it is still only noisy than after it has seized.
Water where it should be dry
A puddle at the furnace or a wet ceiling under an attic unit usually means a blocked drain. Switch the system off so the water stops, then call.
Ice on the lines or the coil
Ice in summer means low airflow or low refrigerant. Turn cooling off, leave the fan running to thaw it, and have it checked before running it again.
Soot, a yellow flame or a burning smell
These point to a burner or venting problem, and either can make carbon monoxide. Shut the furnace off, leave it off and call for HVAC repair instead of waiting for a routine visit. If anyone feels unwell, get outside and call 911.
What we do
What an HVAC tune-up covers
The fall visit concentrates on the heating side and the spring visit on cooling. Some checks belong to both.
Thermostat and controls
Both visits. We check the settings, confirm the system starts, runs and shuts off as it should, and make sure the thermostat reads the room correctly.
Electrical connections and motors
Both visits. Connections are tightened, and motors and capacitors are measured against their ratings to catch the ones that are fading.
Blower and airflow
Both visits. The blower serves heating and cooling, so we inspect the wheel and motor, check the filter and look for anything choking the airflow.
Burners, ignition and flame sensor
Fall. We inspect and clean the burners, check the igniter and clean the flame sensor, then watch the furnace light and hold a steady flame.
Heat exchanger and venting
Fall. We inspect the heat exchanger and check the vent and flue for blockage, leaks and loose connections, along with the furnace's safety switches.
Indoor and outdoor coils
Spring. Dirt on either coil makes the air conditioner run longer for less cooling. We inspect both and clean them as needed.
Refrigerant charge
Spring. We check that the charge is correct. Refrigerant is not used up, so a low reading means a leak to find, not a yearly top-off.
Condensate drains
Both visits. The cooling coil and a high-efficiency furnace both make water. We clear and test the drain, trap and pump.
Humidifier, if you have one
Fall. We check the pad, the water line and the drain on a whole house humidifier so it is ready for the dry months.
A fall heating check and a spring cooling check
Each half of the system sits idle for months and is then asked to run hard. A heating check belongs in early fall, before the first cold snap, when a worn igniter or a dirty flame sensor can be dealt with on a mild afternoon instead of a freezing night. The details of that visit are on our furnace tune-up page.
The cooling check belongs in spring, once it is warm enough to run the air conditioner under load and before the first hot, humid week. Our AC tune-up page covers it step by step. A heat pump heats and cools with the same outdoor unit, so it never gets a season off and earns both visits. In Michigan, where the furnace does far more work in a year than the air conditioner, the fall visit is the one not to skip.
A tune-up does not replace a carbon monoxide alarm
Carbon monoxide has no color and no smell. Put an alarm on every level of the house and outside each sleeping area, and test them when you change the furnace filter. If an alarm sounds, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911. If you smell gas, leave the house without touching any switches, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.
A homeowner's HVAC maintenance checklist, season by season
Most of what keeps a system healthy between tune-ups takes a few minutes and no tools. Switch the power off at the disconnect or the breaker before you rinse or clean anything, and leave the inside of the furnace and the electrical panels alone.
- Fall. Fit a clean filter. Run the heat once before you need it. Replace the humidifier pad and turn the humidifier on. Test your carbon monoxide alarms. Move stored boxes and paint away from the furnace.
- Winter. Check the filter every month. Keep the furnace's outdoor intake and exhaust pipes clear of snow and ice. If the windows sweat in a cold snap, turn the humidifier down.
- Spring. Fit a clean filter. Clear leaves from around the outdoor unit and, with the power off, rinse its coil gently with a garden hose. Turn the humidifier off. Run the cooling once before the first hot day.
- Summer. Check the filter every month. Keep about two feet of clear space around the outdoor unit and keep grass clippings and cottonwood fluff off it. Check that the drain line is dripping freely and not backing up.
- All year. Keep supply vents and return grilles open and uncovered, in every room. Closing vents in unused rooms does not save money and can strain the equipment.
What skipping heating and cooling maintenance costs you
Nothing dramatic happens the first year, which is why it is easy to skip. What builds up is dirt and drift. A coated flame sensor starts shutting the burners off. Dust on the coils and blower makes the system run longer for the same result. A clogged filter alone makes an air conditioner use more electricity for the same cooling.
The bigger cost is timing. A part that could have been spotted in October fails in January, when you have the least patience and the fewest choices. And fuel-burning equipment should be looked at yearly for a reason that has nothing to do with money: a blocked flue or a failing heat exchanger is a safety matter. Maintenance cannot promise that nothing will ever break. It shifts the odds, and it moves the surprises to a time of your choosing.
How it works
What an HVAC service visit looks like
Call when it is due
Early fall for heating, spring for cooling. Tell us what kind of system you have and anything it has been doing that seems off.
We arrive on time
One of our crew shows up when we said we would and asks how the system has behaved since last season before opening it up.
Clean, test, measure
We work through the checks for that season, clean what needs cleaning and run the system through a full cycle to see how it behaves.
You get the findings
We tell you what we did, what is fine and what is wearing. If something needs repair, you get the price first and you decide. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
Why Maverick
Family-owned, on time and honest for 7 years
Family-owned
A family business with a crew of four, in business for 7 years.
On time
You planned your day around us. When we give you a time, that is when we are at your door.
Honest work
We show you what is wrong and tell you the price before we start. If a small fix does it, we say so.
100% satisfaction guaranteed
We stand behind every job. Your satisfaction is guaranteed, 100%.
How often should an HVAC system be serviced?
Once a year for each half: the heating side in fall and the cooling side in spring. That is two visits a year for a home with a furnace and central air. A heat pump or ductless system that both heats and cools works all year, so it benefits from a check before each season as well.
What does an HVAC tune-up include?
Cleaning, testing and inspection of the parts that wear or get dirty. In fall that means the burners, igniter, flame sensor, heat exchanger, venting and safety switches. In spring it means the coils, refrigerant charge, outdoor fan and electrical parts of the air conditioner. Both visits cover the thermostat, electrical connections, blower, filter and condensate drain. You get a plain report of what we found.
Is yearly HVAC maintenance really necessary?
The system will usually run without it, for a while. But heating and cooling equipment works harder than anything else in the house, and it gets dirty and loosens with use like any machine. A yearly check can catch weak parts before they fail and keeps the burners and venting under regular watch, which is a safety matter with any fuel-burning appliance.
When should I have my furnace and AC tuned up in Oakland County?
Have the furnace checked in early fall, before nights turn cold, and the air conditioner in spring, once the weather is warm enough to test it under load. That way anything we find can be fixed before you depend on it. If you missed the window, a late tune-up still beats none.
How often should I change my furnace filter?
Check it every month in the seasons when the system runs a lot, and change it at least every three months. Homes with pets or a dusty renovation under way will need it more often. Thicker media filters, the kind four or five inches deep, last longer than the standard one-inch type. The same filter serves the furnace and the air conditioner.
What HVAC maintenance can I do myself?
Quite a lot of the routine care: changing filters, keeping vents and returns clear, rinsing the outdoor coil with a hose with the power off, keeping snow and leaves away from the outdoor unit and vent pipes, and replacing the humidifier pad each fall. Leave refrigerant, gas, burners, venting and anything inside an electrical panel to a technician.
Do I have to sign up for anything to get a tune-up?
No. Every tune-up we do is a one-time visit. When your system is due, call 248-930-2080, and we will set a time and keep it. There is nothing to join and nothing that renews. Between visits, the seasonal checklist on this page covers what is worth doing yourself.
Keep reading
Related services
Other work we do alongside HVAC maintenance.
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Heating
Furnace Tune-Ups
A real fall tune-up: cleaned, tested and inspected, with anything we find explained before it is fixed.
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Cooling
AC Tune-Ups
A real spring tune-up: outdoor coil cleaned, parts tested, drain cleared, charge checked.
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Heating + cooling
HVAC Repair
Not sure if it is the furnace, the AC, the thermostat or the ducts? We track it down and fix it.
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Air quality
Humidifiers
Furnace-mounted humidifiers installed, repaired and serviced, so winter air stops drying out the house.
Where we work
HVAC Maintenance across Oakland County
We are a family-owned crew of four serving these communities and the towns around them.
- Troy
- Rochester Hills
- Royal Oak
- Southfield
- Farmington Hills
- Novi
- Waterford
- West Bloomfield
- Pontiac
- Bloomfield Hills
- Birmingham
- Auburn Hills
- Clarkston
- Lake Orion
Do not see your town? Call 248-930-2080 and ask, or see our full service area.
Too hot or too cold?
Call the family that shows up
On time. Honest about the problem and the price. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
248-930-2080Maverick Heating and Cooling · Family-owned · Oakland County, MI