Virginia Electrical and HVAC Contractor License 2705181607
Heating Maintenance in Northern Virginia
The freezing breakdown stopped before it starts. Annual and ongoing heating maintenance across Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, and Prince William Counties, measured and written down rather than described at the door.
A Better Filter Can Be a Worse Filter
Everything about the way filters are sold points one way: higher number, cleaner air, better for your system. The last part of that is not reliably true. A filter that catches more particles also resists airflow more, and your heating system was built for only so much resistance across the whole duct path. The filter is one part of that path, and it is the part people change without thinking.
Full airflowWorking harderLimit switch territory
What happens when a furnace is starved of airflow. The heat exchanger runs hotter than it was meant to. The high limit switch does exactly what it is there for and shuts the burner down. The blower keeps going, things cool off, the burner relights, and round it goes. From inside the house that looks like a system cycling on and off all evening while never quite getting there. On a heat pump the same restriction shows up as weak performance and more of the expensive backup heat.
What you can check for free, right now. Pull your filter out and look at the number printed on the edge. Then look at whether it is a thin one inch panel or a thick four or five inch cabinet filter. A high rating on a thick filter with a lot of surface area is usually fine. The same rating on a thin one inch panel is where trouble tends to start, because all that filtering has to happen through much less area. If yours is a thin panel with a high number and your system has been cycling oddly, that is the first thing worth changing.
And the part that needs a gauge. Nobody can tell you from a web page which filter is right for your house, because it depends on your ductwork and how much resistance the rest of the path is already using. The measurement is called static pressure, it takes about five minutes, and most maintenance visits never do it. Ours does, and you get the reading. If somebody else is servicing your system, ask them for it.
Maintained Against Neglected, Over One Winter
Left alone
A neglected system
- Runs longer for the same heat, every day of the season
- Small faults compound quietly until one of them stops the system
- Short cycling that wears the ignition and the blower
- Bills that creep up without the weather explaining it
- Fails on the coldest night, because that is when it is working hardest
Looked after
A maintained system
- Reaches temperature and settles rather than hunting
- Faults caught in October at October prices
- Runs at the airflow and temperature rise it was designed for
- A record of readings, so next year has something to compare against
- More years out of equipment you have already paid for
What Our Heating Maintenance Covers
Full inspection
Burners, ignition, heat exchanger, blower, controls and safeties, with the readings written down rather than described at the door.
Cleaning and adjustment
Burners cleaned, flame sensor cleaned, connections tightened, and the system adjusted back to what it should be delivering.
Filter checked, and the right one recommended
Which is not always the highest number on the shelf. There is a whole section on that above.
Safety checks
Carbon monoxide, gas leaks and flue condition on anything that burns fuel. On an all electric system those items do not exist.
Why Homeowners Trust Us With the Upkeep
Both trades under one licence
Virginia contractor license 2705181607 covers the heating and the electrical. A great many heating faults are a capacitor, a contactor or a loose termination, and we can fix those rather than refer them on.
Measured, not eyeballed
Static pressure, temperature rise and amp draw against what the equipment is supposed to be doing. Those numbers are the difference between a maintenance visit and a look round.
Booked before you need it
Autumn, before the system is being asked for anything. A maintenance visit in January is a repair visit with a different name.
Told when nothing needs doing
The point of a maintenance visit is often to find nothing. If that is the answer you will get it, rather than a list.
To stop having to remember, the HVAC service agreement books it for you and adds priority scheduling. Financing is available on request, and the veteran discount program applies.
Get Your Free Heating Maintenance Estimate
Tell us what you heat with and when it was last looked at. Or call 703.225.8222.
Verified Reviews
What Your Neighbors Are Saying
Heating Maintenance Questions, Answered
How often should I have my heating system maintained?
At least once a year for a furnace, ideally in autumn before you rely on it daily. Heat pumps run year round, so we recommend twice, once in spring and once in autumn.
Will maintenance really lower my energy bills?
Usually, and how much depends entirely on what state the system was in. A system with a restricted filter, a dirty burner and a drifted setting has a great deal to gain. One that was serviced last year and is running properly has very little, and in that case what you are buying is the confidence that it is still right rather than a saving. We would rather say that than promise you a number.
Is a higher MERV filter better for my system?
Better at catching particles, yes. Better for the system, not necessarily. A filter that catches more also resists airflow more, and residential systems are built for a small amount of resistance across the whole duct path. Whether a given filter is a problem in your house depends on your ductwork and the size of the filter, and the way to know is to measure the static pressure. There is a section further up this page with what you can check yourself for free.
What is static pressure and why does it matter?
It is the resistance your blower has to push against, measured across the system. Too high and the airflow drops, which on a furnace means the heat exchanger runs hot and the high limit switch starts shutting the burner down, and on a heat pump means poor performance and more backup heat. It takes about five minutes to measure and most maintenance visits never do it. Ask for the reading.
What is the difference between maintenance and a tune-up?
They overlap. Our seasonal heating tune-up is a focused, before winter inspection and cleaning. Ongoing maintenance, especially through our service agreement, keeps your system cared for all year with priority scheduling.
Can maintenance prevent a breakdown?
It dramatically reduces the odds. Most no heat emergencies trace back to a small problem that went unchecked. Regular maintenance catches those early, before they leave you in the cold.
What if you find a problem during maintenance?
We show you what we found and explain your options with simple, up front pricing. If a repair is needed, you decide how to proceed. No pressure, no surprises.
Explore Our Other Heating Services
Before the season, not during it
Stay Ahead of Winter. Maintain Now.
Heating maintenance across Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, and Prince William Counties, with the static pressure measured and the readings left with you.
Call 703.225.8222Get a Free EstimateLicensed in Virginia. Electrical and HVAC Contractor License 2705181607.