HVAC maintenance in Van Nuys

About HVAC maintenance in Van Nuys

Short answer

An AC or furnace tune-up in Van Nuys is $129, or $15 a month on a plan with two visits a year. Book the cooling visit before the first 90°F day, which near Van Nuys typically comes around April 8.

What we see in Van Nuys homes

Van Nuys systems run long hours, so maintenance here is about keeping heat-stressed parts from failing in July. The spring visit cleans the condenser coil and tests the capacitor, contactor and fan motor against their ratings. We flush the condensate drain in the attic and confirm the float switch shuts the system off if the drain backs up. We also check the refrigerant charge and the temperature drop across the coil.

Dust from busy boulevards and the airport area settles on outdoor coils, and some homes need a second coil rinse in mid-summer. Filters load quickly during long runs, so we leave spares of the right size if you want them. In the fall, attic and closet furnaces get a combustion and carbon monoxide check. Wall heaters in older homes and apartments get cleaned and tested too. Apartment owners can schedule all units on one day. Each system gets a short report with its age and refrigerant type. That helps you plan replacements before a failure in peak heat. Clean coils and a correct charge also trim the LADWP bill during heat waves.

Converted garages and back units often have their own small systems, which can be serviced on the same visit. Ductless heads need their filters and coils cleaned, since dust builds up inside. Homes near the airport often run the AC more with windows shut, so their filters load faster. We leave a short report for each system.

A Van Nuys maintenance calendar

• March: cooling tune-up, before one of the Valley's hottest summers starts.
• July: a mid-summer coil rinse for units near busy boulevards and the airport.
• August: filter check, since long runs load filters quickly.
• October: heating visit for attic and closet furnaces and wall heaters.
• Every one to three months: a new filter, monthly in the hottest weeks.

What we check on Van Nuys homes

• Attic drain lines and float switches in ranch homes.
• Capacitor values on condensers that run for hours at a time.
• Rooftop package units on apartment buildings.
• Wall heaters in older homes and apartments.
• Attic duct joints, where hot attic air leaks in.

Book sooner if

The house cools fine in the morning but falls behind every afternoon. The outdoor unit hums but the fan does not spin. A ceiling stain appears below the attic unit. An apartment wall heater burns with a yellow or lifting flame.

Van Nuys has some of the longest cooling seasons in our area, so spring maintenance pays off quickly. We clean the outdoor coil from the inside out, because dust near the airport packs deep into the fins. A clean coil lowers operating pressure and power use. We record pressures and temperatures in the report so you can compare year to year.

Many Van Nuys ranch homes have attic air handlers with drain pans that bake all summer. We check pans and drain lines before the heat arrives. Apartment owners can bundle all units into one visit, which costs less than scheduling them separately.

Filters near busy streets and the airport load up faster than in quieter areas. Checking them monthly in summer and replacing them when they look gray keeps airflow strong.

The NOAA weather station 3 miles from Van Nuys, Van Nuys Airport, averaged 50 days a year at 95°F or hotter and 21 days at 100°F or hotter in 2016-2025. Its hottest reading was 118°F on September 6, 2020.

At Van Nuys Airport, the first 90°F day of the year typically arrives around April 8. Book the spring cooling tune-up a few weeks before that, so weak parts are replaced before the system has to work hard.

The same station recorded about 11 nights a year at 40°F or colder, with winter lows averaging 47.2°F. Heating seasons are short, but the fall visit still includes a combustion and carbon monoxide check before the first cold night.

In Van Nuys (ZIP codes 91401, 91405, 91406 and 91411), 36% of homes were built before 1960 and 68% before 1980; 57% of households heat with natural gas, and 34% of homes are detached single-family houses.