The Baton Rouge/Ryan Field figures
For its Baton Rouge/Ryan Field station, at an elevation of 69 feet, NOAA's engineering weather data gives a 1% summer design temperature of 92°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 77°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 30°F. NOAA counts about 2,213 hours in an average year at Baton Rouge/Ryan Field with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F, and about 3,994 hours above 67°F.
How to use this calendar
The care below is grouped into four stretches of the year. Lines marked Technician belong with a professional; everything else needs only a flashlight, a fresh filter and a few minutes. Keep a pen handy, because the last section asks you to write down what you find.
January and February: the quiet weeks
- Read the labels on the indoor and outdoor units and write down the model and serial numbers, the filter size and the date the system went in, if you know it.
- If you heat with a heat pump, watch it through a cold morning. Frost that builds up and then clears during a defrost cycle, with a puff of steam, is normal. A unit that stays coated in ice needs a call.
- Check that backup heat comes on when the thermostat asks for it, and listen for any burning smell from the air handler.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and replace their batteries.
- Technician (gas furnace): burners, flame sensor, heat exchanger, venting and a carbon monoxide test.
March and April: wake up the cooling side
- Put in a new filter and mark the date on its edge.
- Clear leaves, vines and stored items from around the outdoor unit, leaving about two feet of open space on all sides.
- With the power to the unit switched off at the disconnect, rinse the outdoor coil gently with a garden hose. Skip the pressure washer, which bends fins.
- Find where the condensate line ends outside and make sure the opening isn't buried in mulch or blocked by a plant.
- Ask a technician which cleaner, if any, is safe to pour into your drain line, and how often.
- Technician: coil cleaning, refrigerant charge, capacitor and contactor, blower wheel, and a test of the float switch.
May through September: steady running
- Look at the filter every month and replace it when it turns gray. Pets, sanding or a nearby construction site shorten its life.
- Learn where the secondary drain empties. On some attic systems it is a pipe over a window or under an eave. Water dripping from it means the primary line is blocked; call for service even if the house still feels cool.
- If the system stops suddenly and the drain pan under the air handler holds water, the float switch has probably done its job. Clear the line or call a technician rather than bypassing the switch.
- Keep supply registers open and returns unblocked. Closing many registers raises pressure in the ducts and can make the blower louder.
- A small hygrometer from a hardware store shows indoor humidity. If rooms feel damp while the thermostat is satisfied, note the times and readings for your technician.
- Call for service if you see ice on the copper refrigerant line, water around the indoor unit, a breaker that trips again and again, or warm air from some registers.
October through December: turning the corner
- Change the filter before the first cool spell.
- Switch to heat on a mild day so any problem shows up early. A dusty smell for a few minutes is common; an electrical or plastic smell is not.
- Check that a heat pump's outdoor unit still sits level on its pad and that leaves have not packed against its base.
- If you can get into the attic safely, look for duct sections that are torn, crushed, disconnected or dripping, and note them for your technician.
- Technician (heat pump): reversing valve, defrost controls and backup heat strips.
When repair turns into replacement
A large repair bill on an older system is a good moment to get a replacement price alongside the repair quote. The Department of Energy puts Louisiana in its hot-humid Southeast region, where split-system central air conditioners installed on or after January 1, 2023 must be rated at least 14.3 SEER2 (13.8 SEER2 for 45,000 Btu/h and larger); split-system heat pumps must meet 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2 nationwide.
Before signing, search for the business on LSLBC's license search, and ask:
- Will you run a room-by-room load calculation, and may I keep a copy?
- Do the SEER2 and HSPF2 figures belong to the exact outdoor and indoor pair in this quote?
- Does the price include duct leakage testing, sealing and new drain and float switch parts?
- What state license, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which permits does the job need, and who pulls them?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
A page by the air handler
Tape a sheet inside the closet door or keep a folder with the filter size and change dates, each service visit and what was found, any refrigerant added, parts replaced, and the model and serial numbers of every unit. A technician who can see the history works faster, and a warranty claim moves more smoothly with dates and serial numbers on hand.