A year of heating and cooling care in Santa Fe
Most heating and cooling breakdowns give warning: a filter clogged with dust, a drain line that backs up, a burner that won't light the first cold night. A short routine each season catches most of them. In New Mexico it also helps to plan ahead for a replacement, because the refrigerant rules are changing and the federal efficiency floor has already gone up. Here is the checklist, season by season.
Winter: December to February
- Change the furnace filter every month or two while the heat runs every day. Dusty air clogs filters quickly.
- Keep the outdoor heat pump clear. If you have a heat pump, keep snow and ice off the top and sides, and make sure it can drain during defrost.
- Check carbon monoxide alarms near bedrooms and near any gas appliance. Replace batteries and replace alarms past their expiration date.
- Test for radon. The New Mexico Environment Department recommends testing in winter, when the house is closed up, and gives out free test kits seasonally. It reports radon high enough to need mitigation in homes in every county in the state, most often in the northern mountains and at high altitude. A furnace can pull soil gas into a house when return ducts in a basement or crawlspace leak, so a test result is useful heating and cooling information too.
Spring: March to May
- Start up the air conditioner early, on a warm day before you need it, and listen for rattles, grinding or short cycling.
- Clean around the outdoor unit. Clear leaves, weeds and windblown debris from at least a couple of feet around it. Rinse the coil gently with a hose if it's dusty.
- Book the cooling tune-up before the busy season. Ask the technician to check refrigerant charge, the condensate drain and electrical connections.
- Ask about your refrigerant. If the system uses R-410A, ask the technician about its condition and what a repair would cost against a replacement. New Mexico's Construction Industries Division told contractors in an August 28, 2024 memo that the 2024 Uniform Mechanical Code's A2L refrigerant rules would be enforced, with suppliers allowed to sell down R-410A stock through 2028.
Summer: June to August
- Change the filter again during heavy cooling.
- Close blinds on sunny sides of the house in the afternoon and keep the thermostat steady instead of making big swings.
- Watch the drain line. A clogged condensate line can overflow and shut the system off. Ask the technician to show you how to clear it.
- Note problem rooms. Write down which rooms run hot. It helps with a load calculation if you replace the system later.
Fall: September to November
- Book the heating tune-up before the first cold snap. Ask for a check of the burners, the flame sensor, the heat exchanger and the venting.
- Test the system on a cool evening so you aren't caught out on the first freezing night.
- Seal drafts around doors and windows before winter.
Planning a replacement
If your system is near the end of its life, plan the replacement instead of waiting for a breakdown in January or July.
- Know the federal minimum. New Mexico is in the Department of Energy's hot-dry Southwest 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) and also meet a minimum EER2.
- Decide on refrigerant. Ask each contractor whether they're quoting an R-410A system or an A2L system, and what the 2024 code requires for the installation.
- Get the same details from everyone: model numbers, ratings, refrigerant, a load calculation, duct work, the permit and warranties.
Records to keep
Keep a log of filter changes, tune-up dates and what was found, your radon test results and the model and serial numbers of each unit. When something does break, it saves a technician time and you money.