HVAC maintenance is a scheduled check of every heating and cooling system in your home, done before the season it is needed. For homes in Tiburon, Belvedere and Mill Valley that means a fall visit for furnaces, boilers and heat pumps in heating mode, and a spring visit for cooling. Because heating carries most of the load here, the fall visit is the one not to skip. Tiburon HVAC has been looking after heating and cooling in southern Marin since 2002.
Fall visit: heating
Gas furnaces
- Burners, igniter and flame sensor inspected and cleaned
- Heat exchanger checked where visible; venting and draft checked
- Combustion and carbon monoxide test
- Gas pressure and temperature rise compared with the manufacturer’s specifications
- Blower cleaned and its motor checked; limit and safety switches tested
- Condensate trap and drain flushed on high-efficiency models
Heat pumps in heating mode
- Reversing valve and defrost cycle tested
- Backup heat strips and their controls checked
- Outdoor coil cleaned; fan and electrical parts tested
Boilers and radiant floors
- Ignition and safety controls tested
- System pressure, expansion tank and relief valve checked
- Circulators and zone valves run through each zone
Spring visit: cooling
The spring visit covers air conditioners, heat pumps in cooling mode and ductless systems: outdoor coil cleaning, refrigerant charge, capacitor and contactor tests, the condensate drain and float switch, and airflow across the indoor coil. It follows the same checklist as our AC maintenance tune-up.
Ductless units
Mini-split heads have washable filters, a coil, and a barrel-shaped blower wheel that gathers dust and, in damp homes, mold. Each visit includes cleaning the filters, checking the coil and drain, and looking at the blower wheel. When the buildup is heavy, we recommend a deep cleaning of the head.
On every visit
- Thermostats and zone controls checked
- Filters checked and replaced or cleaned
- Electrical connections tightened
- A written report with the readings, what is in good shape, what is wearing, and prices for anything that should be fixed
Why it pays off
Maintenance prevents the breakdowns that come from neglect: a flame sensor coated until the furnace won’t stay lit, a condensate trap that clogs and shuts the system down, a capacitor that drifts until the compressor struggles to start. Clean equipment also runs at the temperatures and pressures it was designed for, which is how it reaches a normal service life. And when a part is wearing, you decide on the repair during the week instead of discovering it on a holiday weekend.
Local notes
On the Tiburon peninsula and in Belvedere, salt air corrodes outdoor coils, fans and electrical terminals, so outdoor units near the water get a closer look and a rinse at every visit. Larger homes often have several systems and zones, each with its own section in the report. In Mill Valley, shaded and damp homes run heat most of the year and collect moisture in drains and crawlspace ducts. The local pages cover HVAC maintenance in Tiburon, Belvedere and Mill Valley. If a visit turns up a failing part, see furnace repair or heat pump repair; if you notice dust or musty air, ask about duct cleaning or an indoor air quality review on the same visit.