Carrier Maintenance Recommendations

Carrier's official residential maintenance recommendation

From the Carrier homeowner manual:

• Replace or clean filter every 30–90 days
• Keep 2 ft of clearance around outdoor unit
• Inspect and clean outdoor coil annually (more often near coast)
• Annual professional tune-up — required to maintain parts warranty on most claims
• Verify drain line is clear before cooling season

What we actually do on a Carrier tune-up

Carrier's recommendation is a minimum. A real tune-up catches failures before they happen:

• Coil rinse with coil-safe cleaner
• Capacitor microfarad test under load — proactive replacement at <90%
• Contactor voltage drop test — proactive replacement at >0.3V
• Superheat and subcool readings — verifies charge without venting refrigerant
• Static pressure on supply and return — flags duct restrictions
• Blower and condenser motor amp draws
• Drain line flush and EZ-Trap tablet install
• Float switch function test
• Thermostat calibration / Infinity firmware check
• Electrical connection torque
• Filter replacement with correct MERV rating
• Photo report emailed to you the same day

Why twice a year and not once

Florida runs cooling 9 months a year. A single tune-up can't catch failures that develop between April and the next April. Spring (pre-summer) and fall (pre-heating) timing catches issues at the changeover when symptoms first appear.