Moline/Quad City figures, for the record
For Moline/Quad City, about 8 miles southeast of Davenport across the Mississippi, NOAA's engineering weather data lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.3 inches per hour and about 61 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
Davenport households in QuickFacts
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts lists, for 2020-2024, an owner-occupied housing unit rate in Davenport of 62.9%, a median value of owner-occupied housing units of $166,400 and a median gross rent of $978. For the same 2020-2024 period, it gives a median household income (in 2024 dollars) of $66,200 and a per capita income of $37,521.
Reading this checklist
Rather than marching through the calendar, this list follows what your system is doing at the time: getting ready to heat, running hard in the cold, sitting idle in between, getting ready to cool and running hard in the heat. Under each mode you'll find owner tasks and a short list to hand a technician. Before you open a panel or touch the outdoor unit, set the thermostat to off and shut power at the furnace switch or the outdoor disconnect.
Switching to heat
Owner tasks
- Put in a fresh filter, and write the date on its frame.
- Run the heat on a cool afternoon, before you truly need it, so a problem shows up early. A brief dusty smell is common at first; a smell of hot plastic or wiring is a reason to shut it off and call.
- Make sure supply registers are open and return grilles aren't hidden behind furniture or rugs.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and swap their batteries.
- Look at the furnace intake and exhaust pipes on the outside wall and clear any leaves or nests.
- If you have a humidifier, put in a new pad or water panel and open its water valve.
Book a technician for
- a gas furnace: burners, flame sensor, ignitor, heat exchanger inspection, gas pressure and a combustion reading;
- a heat pump: the defrost control, reversing valve and backup heat.
Deep cold
Owner tasks
- Keep drifting snow and dripping roof water off the outdoor heat pump, and don't wrap it while it's in use.
- Expect a heat pump to run defrost cycles; a short puff of steam from the unit is part of that.
- Hold the thermostat steady through the coldest nights if you heat with a heat pump. A deep setback can bring the backup heat on when you turn it back up.
- After each snowfall, brush the furnace intake and exhaust pipes clear by hand.
- Check the filter monthly while the system runs long hours.
- If windows fog or frost on the inside, turn the humidifier setting down.
Call a technician if
- the outdoor unit stays encased in ice after defrost should have cleared it;
- the auxiliary or emergency heat light stays on for hours;
- the furnace lights and shuts off again and again;
- a carbon monoxide alarm sounds. Get everyone out first, then call for help from outside.
The shoulder weeks
The weeks in spring and fall when the system barely runs are a good window for chores that are awkward later:
- Book the next service visit for a day that suits you, while nothing is urgent.
- Look over the ducts you can reach in the basement for joints that have pulled apart or tape that has let go.
- Check the floor around the furnace and water heater for water or rust stains.
- Replace thermostat batteries and update the schedule to match how the house is being used.
- In spring, turn the humidifier off and close its water valve.
Switching to cool
Owner tasks
- Clear leaves, grass and anything stored against the outdoor unit, and trim shrubs back so it has the clearance its manual lists.
- With power off at the disconnect, rinse the coil gently with a garden hose. Keep a pressure washer away from the fins.
- Check that the pad is level and that the foam insulation on the larger refrigerant line is intact.
- Pour a little water into the condensate drain or pump and watch it carry the water away.
- Change the filter, then run the cooling on a mild day and listen for grinding, rattling or a buzz that does not settle.
Book a technician for
- refrigerant readings written on the ticket, the capacitor, the contactor and the electrical connections;
- a coil cleaning if dust or growth is visible.
High summer
Owner tasks
- Check the filter monthly and change it when it looks gray.
- Look in the drain pan under the indoor coil for standing water, and check that a condensate pump still switches on.
- Point the mower's discharge away from the outdoor unit so clippings don't pack into the coil.
- Note any room that won't cool in the late afternoon and add it to your next service ticket.
Warning signs
- ice on the refrigerant lines or the indoor coil (switch to fan only and call);
- water on the floor around the furnace or air handler;
- a breaker that trips again after you reset it;
- cooling that runs without stopping on an ordinary day, or starts and stops every few minutes.
After high wind or a heavy downpour
- Before restarting, walk out to the outdoor unit and look for branches, bent fins, a tipped pad or debris inside the cabinet.
- If water reached the outdoor unit's base or the equipment in the basement, leave the system off and ask a technician to check it before it runs again.
- Check the intake and exhaust pipes for blown-in leaves or debris.
- Photograph any damage for your insurer before cleanup.
Weighing a big repair against replacement
When a repair estimate grows large, ask for a replacement quote at the same visit, and put these questions to whoever writes it:
- Will a replacement be sized from a room-by-room load calculation, and will I get the report?
- What is the AHRI reference number for the exact indoor and outdoor pairing you are quoting?
- Are duct sealing and repairs part of the price, or separate?
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits would the job need, and who pulls them?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
A one-page service history
Tape a sheet inside the furnace room door or keep a note on your phone. Record the filter size and every change date, each service visit with the technician's name and what they measured, refrigerant added, parts replaced, and the model and serial numbers of the indoor and outdoor equipment. A page like that shortens the next service call and backs up a warranty claim if one is needed.