What you can do yourself
- Change the filter on the schedule printed on its packaging, or sooner if it looks grey. It is the single most valuable habit in this list.
- Keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, clippings and anything stacked against it. Do not cover a heat pump in winter; it runs in winter.
- Check the condensate drain in cooling season. A blocked line is a shut-down or a wet floor waiting to happen.
- Batteries in the thermostat, and every supply vent open — closing vents to “push heat elsewhere” raises duct pressure and does not do what people hope.
- Read the blinking light if the furnace stops: the legend is on the inside of the door.
The troubleshooting guide has the step-by-step versions, including a seasonal checklist.
What a paid tune-up should include
“Tune-up” is not a defined term, so ask what the visit includes before booking it. A useful heating visit covers the burners, igniter and flame sensor, an inspection of the heat exchanger, gas pressure, temperature rise across the furnace, the blower and its capacitor, and a carbon-monoxide check. A useful cooling visit covers the indoor and outdoor coils, the condensate line, the capacitor and contactor, refrigerant charge checked by superheat and subcooling rather than by “topping up,” and airflow or static pressure.
Ask for the readings in writing. Capacitor microfarads against its rating, temperature split, static pressure, refrigerant pressures. A visit that produces numbers is a visit that happened; a visit that produces only a recommendation to buy something is a sales call with a ladder.
Warranties
Read the warranty terms for your own model rather than a general claim: some manufacturers condition parts coverage on registration within a set period, and some on documented professional service. Your installer should have registered the equipment; if you do not know, the model and serial number on the data plate let you check with the manufacturer.
When to have it done
Before the season the system is about to work hardest — heating in early autumn, cooling in spring — for the plain reason that a fault found then is a scheduled repair, and a fault found in the first cold snap or the first hot week is an emergency call.
Maintenance plans: what to ask before signing
- Exactly what is included in each visit, and how many visits a year?
- Is “priority service” defined — a response time — or just a word?
- What discount applies to repairs, and on parts, labor, or both?
- Does it auto-renew, and how do I cancel?
- What is your CCB number? Check it — a plan is a multi-year relationship.
Two red flags
A tune-up that ends every year with a large, unquoted repair, and a system that needs refrigerant “topped up” every season. The second is a leak being billed annually; see what a top-up really means.
Nearby
Sources. Cost ranges are quoted from the published 2026 guides named on the cost page (Angi Portland; Costadia Portland 2026; a 2026 national guide), as verified there on 23 September 2026. Incentive figures and equipment conditions are from Energy Trust of Oregon information sheets PI 0320I v2026.5 and PI 0320I-HP v2026.4 (both revised 9 September 2026), IRS guidance on Public Law 119-21, and Oregon Department of Energy program pages, as verified on the rebate page. Code language is quoted from the Oregon Building Codes Division technical summary First-Stage Heat Pump — 2026 ORSC Provisions Summary. License facts are from the State of Oregon CCB Active Licenses open dataset g77e-6bhs. This page is general information, not a bid, a code ruling or tax advice.