Every summer we get the same call pattern. Around the first 30°C day, our voicemail fills with homeowners saying some version of: "The AC's running but the house isn't cooling," or "It's making a noise it didn't make last year." By the time we get to those calls, we're booking three to five days out — and our customer is sitting in a hot house.
Almost all of those calls could have been avoided with a 45-minute tune-up in April or May.
This is the case for getting yours done now, the specific things we check, and why "I'll just run it and see if it works" is the most expensive way to find out something is broken.
Why spring tune-ups exist in the first place
An air conditioner sits idle for roughly seven months a year in Eastern Ontario. Sitting idle isn't passive — moisture migrates into the outdoor unit, leaves and seed pods pile up in the condenser fins, and the refrigerant charge can drift on older systems with slow leaks that are invisible until the first hot run.
When you crank the thermostat to 22°C on the first June heat wave and the system kicks on, several things happen at once: the compressor starts pulling current, refrigerant tries to circulate, the evaporator coil starts pulling humidity from the air, and the blower kicks up dust that's been sitting in your ducts all winter. If any one of those things has a problem, you find out on the day you need cooling the most.
A spring tune-up is the controlled version of that first run. We do it on purpose, in cool weather, with diagnostic tools attached, so the problems show up before you're depending on the system.
What we actually check during a tune-up
The shortened version of what you're paying for:
- Refrigerant charge measured against manufacturer spec, not eyeballed. Low refrigerant is the number-one cause of "running but not cooling" calls.
- Condenser coil cleaning — outdoor unit fins clogged with cottonwood seed, grass clippings, and corrosion. A clogged condenser can cut cooling capacity by 30%.
- Evaporator coil inspection — indoor coil for ice buildup, biofilm, or drainage problems.
- Electrical contactors and capacitors tested — capacitors are the most common AC component to fail, usually with no warning. We test them under load and replace any that are out of spec while we're there.
- Condensate drain cleared — a clogged drain line is the most common cause of water damage from AC, and homeowners almost never notice until ceiling drywall stains.
- Static pressure measured across the air handler — too much pressure means the system is fighting your ductwork, which kills efficiency and shortens equipment life.
- Thermostat calibration verified against an independent thermometer.
The tune-up takes about an hour. We give you a written report of what we found and any recommendations.
Why specifically spring (not fall, not mid-summer)
There are three good reasons to do this in April or May:
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We have availability. Our calendar is wide open in spring. By late June we're triaging emergency no-cool calls and tune-ups get pushed.
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Problems are cheap to fix in spring. A failed capacitor in May is a $180 part-and-labor swap done at our convenience. The same failure in July, called in as an emergency, can be $300+ in after-hours fees, and you wait a day or two without AC.
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Refrigerant work needs cool weather. Diagnosing a refrigerant leak when the outdoor temperature is below 18°C is much more accurate than doing it at 32°C. The pressure readings are cleaner.
When does it pay back?
For most SD&G homes the math is straightforward:
- Tune-up cost: about $150
- Average single emergency repair: $400 to $800
- Average lifespan extension of a maintained AC: 3-5 years vs. unmaintained
- Average reduction in summer cooling cost from a properly maintained system: 10-15%
If your tune-up catches even one developing problem — and it usually does — you've already broken even.
What about the maintenance plan?
If you're a maintenance plan member, this is included. We call you in March to schedule it, you don't have to remember. Plan members also get priority scheduling for any issues found and discounted parts.
If you're not on a plan, just call us at (613) 363-9011 and we'll book you in. Tune-up bookings for May and early June are limited — we're picking up the phone now.
Don't wait for the first hot day. That's the day everyone calls.