Spring: cooling, before the first hot week
An air conditioner tune-up is cheapest and easiest to schedule before anyone needs it. HomeGuide puts the national average at $120, with a typical range of $70 to $200. Booking in spring rather than during the first heat wave is the difference between a scheduled visit and an emergency one.
Summer: water and drainage
Summer is a reasonable time for a water heater flush, which HomeAdvisor puts at $110 to $200 averaging $160 for most jobs. It is also the easiest season to test a sump pump and to look at grading and downspouts while the ground is dry enough to work on.
Fall: heating, before the first cold snap
A furnace tune-up runs $70 to $200 with a $130 national average per HomeGuide, and $80 to $170 for gas furnaces specifically. This is the single visit most worth scheduling on time: a furnace that fails in January fails on the coldest night, which is also the night every HVAC company in the county is booked.
Fall is also when the Red Cross prevention list should be worked through: drain and store outdoor hoses, close the inside valve to each outdoor hose bib and leave the outside bib open so trapped water can expand, and insulate exposed pipes in unheated spaces.
Winter: protecting what is already running
During cold snaps, the Red Cross recommends letting the cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes, opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warm air reaches the plumbing, keeping the garage door shut if water lines run through it, and holding the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. If you travel, leave the heat on and set no lower than 55°F.
Once a year, whenever it fits
- Check the age of the water heater. Energy Saver gives storage tanks a 10 to 15 year typical service life, and tankless units about 20.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries.
- Walk the exterior: grading away from the foundation, gutters clear, no soil or mulch piled against siding.
Whether a plan is worth it
Wisconsin companies that publish plan pricing cluster between $19 and $22.40 a month for two annual tune-ups and about 10% off repairs: Hooper in Madison at $19/month, and Dave Droegkamp in Butler at $269/year. Hooper also publishes its non-member visit rate at $153. Two visits a year at that rate is $306, which is the comparison worth running before deciding whether a plan earns its keep for your house.
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Where they disagree, the post says so rather than averaging them into a single number.
- AC maintenance and tune-up cost - HomeGuide
- Furnace tune-up, inspection and maintenance cost - HomeGuide
- Hooper Service Priority Plan, Madison WI (PDF)
- Dave Droegkamp Comfort Club, Butler WI
- Preventing and thawing frozen pipes - American Red Cross, hosted by Outagamie County (PDF)
- Cost to flush a water heater - HomeAdvisor
- Water heating - Energy Saver, energy.gov