Fall Heating Tune-Up in Galveston & the Gulf Coast

Almost certainly — and in Galveston, what happens to your heating system during the nine months it sits idle is fundamentally different from what happens inland. Your heater doesn't just collect dust while it waits for November. On the Gulf Coast, salt-laden air circulates through and around your outdoor equipment all summer long. Condenser coils, electrical terminals, gas connections, and cabinet hardware accumulate salt deposits and corrosion during the hottest, most humid months of the year. By the time you need heat, your system has been marinating in a corrosive coastal environment since February.

A November tune-up catches all of it before the first cold front rolls through Galveston County.

The Carbon Monoxide Check — Non-Negotiable for Gas Systems

Every heating season across Texas, families are hospitalized from carbon monoxide exposure caused by cracked heat exchangers and failed venting. CO is odorless and colorless. A gas furnace with a cracked heat exchanger pumps combustion byproducts — including carbon monoxide — directly into your home's air supply. The house warms up. The family breathes poison.

Our fall tune-up includes a combustion analysis that measures CO levels in the furnace flue. If readings are elevated, we inspect the heat exchanger with a camera scope and check every venting connection. This single test is the most important safety check in the entire tune-up. Galveston homes with gas furnaces that have sat idle since March need this check before the first cold night.

The Gulf Coast's first meaningful cold front typically arrives between late October and mid-November. That first night below 40°F is when every furnace in Galveston County fires up for the first time in nine months. If yours has a problem, that's when you find out — or worse, when you don't find out and CO enters your living space silently.

What Nine Months of Coastal Idle Time Does to Heating Systems

Inland systems sit idle for five or six months. Yours sits idle for eight or nine. That's 50% more time for components to degrade, and the degradation is worse because of the salt air environment.

Gas furnace issues after coastal idle time: Burner orifices corrode and produce uneven flame patterns. Flame sensors develop oxidation that causes nuisance shutdowns — the furnace lights, runs for a few seconds, then shuts off. Igniter elements develop micro-cracks from humidity cycling. Gas valve diaphragms stiffen. Pilot assemblies corrode. Heat exchanger surfaces develop surface oxidation that needs evaluation.

Heat pump issues after coastal idle time: Reversing valves stick from inactivity and corrosion. Defrost control boards fail from moisture exposure. Auxiliary heat strips corrode and lose heating capacity. Contactor points pit from salt exposure. Capacitors weaken in the heat and humidity.

None of these problems are visible from outside the unit. They require professional testing and measurement to identify.

The Full Fall Checklist

Gas Furnace Inspection:

1. Combustion analysis and CO testing at the flue
2. Heat exchanger visual and camera inspection
3. Burner cleaning and flame pattern verification
4. Igniter inspection — hot surface or spark type
5. Flame sensor cleaning (the number one cause of furnace short-cycling)
6. Gas pressure measurement at the manifold
7. Blower motor amp draw and operation test
8. Capacitor testing
9. All safety controls: high-limit switch, pressure switch, rollout switch
10. Salt corrosion inspection on all accessible components
11. Thermostat calibration in heating mode
12. Air filter replacement
13. Flue pipe and venting inspection
14. Return and supply airflow measurement

Heat Pump Heating Inspection:

1. Refrigerant charge measurement
2. Reversing valve operation — confirms switch to heating mode
3. Defrost control board and defrost cycle testing
4. Auxiliary and emergency heat strip verification
5. Outdoor coil cleaning and salt residue removal
6. Indoor coil inspection
7. Blower motor and capacitor testing
8. Contactor inspection for salt corrosion and pitting
9. All electrical connections checked and tightened
10. Condensate drain check (heat pumps produce condensate in heating mode)
11. Thermostat operation in heating and emergency heat modes

The October-November Scheduling Window

Schedule in October or early November. During these weeks, our techs aren't buried in emergency calls. Your tune-up gets thorough, unhurried attention. If we find a problem, parts are available and we can schedule the repair within days.

By late November and December, priorities shift. Emergency calls dominate the schedule. Parts suppliers run low on high-demand items like igniters, flame sensors, and control boards. A tune-up that uncovers a needed repair might mean a week-long wait for the part and another wait for the return visit. Meanwhile, you're running a compromised system through the coldest weeks of the year.

What It Costs to Skip the Tune-Up

The Department of Energy estimates unmaintained heating systems lose about 5% efficiency per year. On the coast, corrosion accelerates that loss. A heat pump rated at 10 HSPF running at 8 HSPF because of dirty coils and corroded contacts wastes roughly $30-40 per month during heating season. Even in Galveston's mild winters, that adds up to $90-120 over three to four months of heating use.

Equipment lifespan is the bigger number. Maintained systems last 15-20 years. Neglected coastal systems average 8-12 years. A premature replacement runs $5,000-$14,000. Annual tune-ups at $129 each total under $2,000 over a system's lifetime — a fraction of an early replacement cost.

$129 Fall Tune-Up — Coastal Corrosion Inspection Included

Our fall heating tune-up is $129 (regular price $225) and covers everything listed above for either gas furnace or heat pump systems. The coastal corrosion inspection is included at no extra charge. If everything checks out clean, you'll have documentation confirming it. If something needs attention, you'll get a clear explanation and a written estimate with no pressure. Membership plan holders receive this tune-up as part of their quarterly schedule with no dispatch fee and priority scheduling.