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Your year-round maintenance schedule

The Temecula Valley's cooling season runs from June into October, with Santa Ana winds in fall and cool winter nights. Here's what to do and when.

January–March

• Change the filter after the Santa Ana season.
• If your system is over 15 years old, get replacement estimates now, not during a July breakdown.
• Book your spring tune-up early.

April: spring tune-up

• Professional tune-up before the June heat.
• Ask the technician to check the outdoor unit's electrical compartment for spiders and nests.

May: get ready

• Flush the condensate drain line with a cup of white vinegar.
• Rinse the outdoor unit: power off at the disconnect, garden hose from the outside, keep water off the electrical panel, never a pressure washer.
• Replace thermostat batteries.

June–September: peak season

• Check the filter monthly; change it when it's gray.
• Flush the drain line again in August.
• If wildfire smoke reaches the valley, change the filter afterward.

October–December

• Heating check for furnaces and heat pumps before cool nights.
• Santa Ana season: check the filter after windy weeks and rinse the outdoor unit in November.