A calendar for the system that runs all year
Lynchburg was founded by John Lynch, who was 17 when he started a ferry across the James River in 1757; it was established as a town in 1786. Whatever the age of your own house, its heating and cooling equipment works in both directions over a year, and a few minutes of attention each season keeps small faults from becoming no-heat or no-cool calls. The checklist below runs from early spring around to late winter. Items marked for a technician should go to one; any homeowner can handle the rest.
March and April: wake up the cooling side
- Replace the air filter, and write the date and size on its frame.
- Walk around the outdoor unit. Pull away leaves, twigs and grass, and trim shrubs back about two feet on every side.
- Look at the refrigerant lines where they enter the house. Insulation that's cracked, missing or chewed should be replaced.
- On a mild afternoon, switch to cooling and confirm the outdoor fan spins and the air from the vents is cooler than the room.
- Technician: book a cooling check if the system hasn't had one in the last year: coil cleaning, refrigerant charge, electrical connections, capacitor and contactor.
May through August: keep air and water moving
- Check the filter monthly and change it when it looks gray, sooner with pets or nearby construction.
- Find the condensate line, usually a white plastic pipe near the indoor unit, and make sure it drains freely. If there's a float switch or safety cutoff, ask a technician to show you how it works.
- Keep supply registers and return grilles clear of rugs, curtains and furniture.
- Close windows and doors while the system cools; propping a door open makes the equipment run longer and pull in outdoor air it then has to treat.
- If rooms feel clammy even when the thermostat is satisfied, note when it happens and ask a technician to check fan speed and run times.
- Warning signs that need a call: ice on the copper lines, water around the indoor unit, warm air from some registers, a breaker that keeps tripping, or a new rattle or hum.
September and October: turn to heat
- Change the filter again before the heating season.
- Run the heat on a cool morning. A short dusty smell at first is normal; a burning plastic or electrical smell is not.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and put in fresh batteries.
- For a heat pump, confirm the outdoor unit sits level on its pad and stands clear of leaves.
- Technician (gas, propane or oil furnace): burners, flame sensor, heat exchanger inspection, venting, and a carbon monoxide check.
- Technician (heat pump): reversing valve, defrost controls and backup heat operation.
November through February: cold-weather care
- A heat pump will frost over and switch into defrost from time to time. A burst of steam and a short pause are normal. A unit encased in ice that won't clear needs service.
- After snow or ice, clear the outdoor unit and any furnace intake and exhaust pipes that come through an outside wall.
- If backup heat seems to run for long stretches, or the electric bill jumps sharply, ask a technician to look at the heat pump's charge and defrost settings.
- Keep the thermostat on modest, steady settings; large overnight setbacks can call for backup heat in the morning on a heat pump system.
When repair becomes replacement
If a costly repair lands on an aging system, get a replacement bid alongside the repair quote before you decide. The Department of Energy puts Virginia 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.
Questions to bring to the bids:
- Did you run a load calculation, and may I see it?
- Are the SEER2 and HSPF2 figures for the exact outdoor and indoor pair you're quoting?
- Does the bid include duct testing and sealing?
- What state license, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits are needed, and who pulls them?
Look the business up on DPOR's license lookup before signing.
A local fact about water
Lynchburg Water Resources runs two water treatment plants, College Hill and Abert, staffed around the clock.
A one-page service log
Tape a sheet inside the air handler closet or keep a folder with: filter size and change dates, each service visit and what was found, repairs and parts replaced, refrigerant added, and the model and serial numbers of every indoor and outdoor unit. A technician who can read the system's history spends less time guessing, and warranty claims go faster with dates and serial numbers on hand.