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Free HVAC Tune-Up Checklist PDF: Foster Accountability and Increase Sales
HVAC
In this post, we share a free HVAC tune-up checklist for HVAC inspections and preventative maintenance. It consists of the following steps:
Take pre-maintenance safety precautions
Check the blower area including belt tension, motor, bearings, etc.
Change dirty air filters
Clean economizer screen and check evaporator coil
Check drain trap for clogs
Inspect thermostat controls and electrical hookups
Examine the condenser fan motor
Check the exchange area
Check the ignition area
We’ll provide a link below to download the checklist and begin using it in your HVAC business.
However, keep in mind that while this checklist provides some great benefits, such as fostering consistency and accountability during HVAC inspections, PDF templates have some key limitations. Specifically:
It’s difficult to be absolutely sure they’re used for each and every job.
They can’t be easily customized or duplicated on the fly.
PDFs don’t integrate with the other apps and software tools you use to run your business, so you need to manually record inspection results into your CRM or whatever system you use to keep track of customer and job data.
The details of any issues discovered during inspections can’t be easily shared between field and office staff, causing delays for kicking off any next actions that need to be taken (e.g. checking warranty or inventory information, drafting estimates, ordering parts, etc.).
So, in addition to sharing the free tune-up checklist below, we’ll also walk through how our HVAC contractor software, ServiceTitan, solves these challenges and more.
Below, we cover:
Do you want to see for yourself how ServiceTitan’s HVAC software can give you the tools you need to streamline operations and grow your business? Schedule a call for a free product tour.
How to Download and Use Our HVAC Tune-Up Checklist
Click here to download our free HVAC tune-up checklist.
Once you’ve saved the PDF to your computer as a new file, you’ll be able to customize the document with your company name, logo, address, and phone number.
The checklist consists of three basic sections, each with a handful of steps:
1. Equipment Description and Safety
Describe the Equipment Details
In this section, HVAC service technicians input all of the basics for the equipment inspection and regular maintenance — the date of job, voltage and phase of the unit, unit location, refrigerant type, serial number and model number.
Pre-Maintenance Safety Precautions
This section also includes safety-related items, prompting techs to verify that the disconnection switch is off and that potential hazards and contaminants have been removed from the work area.
2. AC Tune-Up
Maintenance tasks for air conditioning systems are covered in the AC section of the PDF.
These consist of checking the following areas of the air conditioner:
Check the Blower Area
The blower area check includes prompts to check for belt tension, motor, bearings, wiring, blower wheel, and belt size of the AC unit.
Check the Air Filter Area
Here, techs make sure that dirty filters have been changed, and that they’ve cleaned the economizer screen and checked the evaporator coil.
Check the Cooling Area
The checklist asks techs to check the drain trap for clogs and to inspect thermostat controls and electrical hookups for the cooling system.
Check the Condenser/Compressor Area
Techs must examine the condenser fan motor, in addition to the blades, condenser coil, filter dryer, and crankcase of the air conditioning unit.
3. Heating Section
Our maintenance checklist also includes inspection items for jobs that include a heating system.
Check the Exchange Area
Air filters
Heat exchangers
Fan, blower motor, burner assembly
Check the Ignition Area
Gas pipe and valve
Draft inducer motor
Burner logs
Ignition board
Thermostat controls
Electrical connections
A final section gives techs space for any additional notes on a maintenance call such as obstacles encountered or details learned from discussions with the customer.
Filling out this HVAC maintenance checklist will give techs a much better chance of completing a comprehensive inspection, tuning up systems as necessary, and maintaining low energy bills and high energy efficiency for customers.
With that said, as we described above, PDF or paper checklists have key limitations when it comes to:
Ensuring these checklists are filled out on every job
Customizing and duplicating checklists
Storing, organizing, and sharing inspection data
Syncing inspection data with the other tools you use to run your business
Below, we’ll discuss how a best-in-class HVAC software like ServiceTitan can help contractors address these challenges.
How ServiceTitan Custom Forms Streamline HVAC Inspections
ServiceTitan’s HVAC software allows contractors to create versatile, customized forms including HVAC tune-up checklists.
Users can create checklists and easily add them to specific jobs, customers, locations, or equipment. And all forms can be accessed on our mobile app (compatible with Android and iOS devices), as well as to office staff via our desktop app.
With this functionality at their fingertips, there’s no longer any need to keep stacks of paper checklists stocked in your trucks, or transfer job and customer data to a computer system; so business owners and staff save time and eliminate errors.
Since ServiceTitan stores every piece of information entered into the platform in the cloud, it’s fast and easy to find and access forms and customer info.
Forms can be built from scratch. But our users also enjoy access to a wide variety of pre-built templates — sourced from forms used by other HVAC companies via TitanExchange. These, too, can be customized to the specific needs or preferences of a given HVAC shop.
Ensure Checklists Are Used Every Time
In form settings, business owners can select the option to require techs to fill out certain forms for certain jobs.
For example, if a tech is performing a preventative maintenance check-up, they can be required to complete your HVAC tune-up checklist before they’re able to mark the job as complete. Or, if they’re installing a new HVAC system, they can be required to complete an HVAC installation checklist and warranty form before closing out the job.
This fosters accountability through automation, reducing stress on behalf of owners and managers, while ensuring SOPs are followed in the field for every job.
Customize and Adjust Checklists with Ease
Users can also add or subtract from maintenance checklists to perfectly match their needs and preferences. For example, any of the following could be added to checklists to ensure that techs make thorough assessments:
Condensers
Heat pumps
Furnace tune-up
Gas pressure
Indoor air quality
Refrigerant levels
Airflow
Air filters
Compressors
Condensate drains
Ductwork
Safety controls
Heat exchangers
Drain lines
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In addition, every form and checklist can be duplicated as many times as necessary to address all of the HVAC units present, right from the job site.
While having a flexible digital forms tool is an important asset for solving the challenges of paper or manual forms, the true value of software solutions like ServiceTitan lies in the combination of features that help to streamline workflows at the broader operations level.
How ServiceTitan Solves the Other Key Challenges of HVAC Preventative Maintenance
Below, we’ll take a look at key tools that our platform offers to solve the other operational challenges involved in executing HVAC preventative maintenance, specifically:
Tracking, accessing, and keeping maintenance agreement details up to date
Creating estimates for repairs or replacement when issues are discovered
Tracking, Accessing, and Updating Maintenance Agreements
Oftentimes, HVAC maintenance checklists are used in the context of HVAC membership agreements. ServiceTitan's membership feature gives HVAC businesses the ability to effectively and efficiently document, manage, and track recurring services associated with maintenance agreements.
Crucially, all of the records and specifications of HVAC memberships are stored in one place, making them easy to search and reference with just a few clicks.
Details that ServiceTitan subscribers store with this feature include:
Membership type
Agreement period
Membership locations (single or multiple)
Billing schedule and price
Service frequency (e.g. quarterly, biannual, or annual maintenance plan, etc.)
Revenue recognition (point of sale or deferred)
Since this information is archived in a central location, contractors have no need to sift through paper files or spreadsheets to find exactly what they’re looking for. The details are easy to edit, and can be viewed from our desktop app by office staff or by technicians in the field.
Furthermore, membership tracking is seamlessly integrated with the software tools that our users rely on to do things like schedule jobs, build proposals, send invoices, and collect payment.
Leveraging Automation to Schedule Maintenance Visits (On Time and with Ease)
Once recurring service events are established during the membership setup process, they are automatically added to your schedule based on the dates and frequency that were defined. This saves office staff significant time from having to manually track and add these jobs to the schedule, while reducing the chances of missing maintenance visits.
Office staff can view upcoming recurring service events for the date range of their choosing, and initiate individual jobs by contacting the customer to coordinate a time and book the job. At that point, the job will be assigned to a technician, and be automatically viewable on their schedule and through the dispatch board.
You can also create follow-up notifications for cases where you’re unable to contact a customer, they aren’t ready to book a job, or they no longer want the service. These offer HVAC contractors peace of mind and help to ensure that office staff doesn’t forget to follow up in these instances.
Creating and Presenting Estimates When Issues Are Discovered
For business owners, one of the benefits of having a consistent HVAC inspection process is that it empowers field service technicians to discover and capitalize on valuable sales opportunities.
When such an opportunity is identified — when a tech finds an issue or issues with HVAC equipment in the course of an inspection — ServiceTitan gives them the ability to create an accurate, professional estimate and quickly deliver it to their customer.
Techs using ServiceTitan often do this on the spot, leveraging our software’s integrated pricebook features to choose the best equipment and materials for the job and create an estimate on the fly.
Using a tablet, estimates — complete with Good Better Best options, augmented by color photos, equipment specs, and pricing — can be presented to homeowners right away. Alternatively, techs can email estimates for review and approval.
In addition to ensuring that no vital job details get lost in the shuffle of paperwork between job site and office, this feature allows contractors to save time on delivering estimates to customers whose needs are often urgent.
ServiceTitan also provides for automated tracking and follow-up on outstanding estimates, enabling users to improve close rates and maximize their bottom line.
Sending Invoices and Getting Paid Efficiently
By streamlining all of the most essential elements of an HVAC business, ServiceTitan makes billing easy.
Drawing on the equipment, hourly rates, and other factors that go into an HVAC quote, ServiceTitan automatically populates work orders and invoices, so that there’s no discrepancy between the estimate and the bill.
HVAC contractors can choose to send invoices by email (with a link to allow clients to pay online) or have them e-signed on site with a mobile device.
Collecting payments is similarly painless. Homeowners and commercial clients alike can settle up through our customer portal, which allows them to save credit card information. Contractors are still free to take cash or check, too. (As revenue flows in, our QuickBooks integration makes it easy to keep track of.)
Residential jobs can sometimes hit a snag for budgetary reasons. But ServiceTitan can help HVAC contractors overcome objections by providing near-instantaneous access to one of our financing partners. It takes just minutes on our mobile software for customers to apply and get approved, reducing cost obstacles that might otherwise reduce profitability.
Get a ServiceTitan Demo to See How We Can Help You Optimize and Grow Your HVAC Business
While PDF HVAC inspection checklists certainly are an improvement over no checklist at all, they simply can’t solve many of the business process challenges that inevitably arise in a busy HVAC shop.
Some of the things that analog checklists aren’t much help with include:
Overall business organization, efficiency, and management
Scheduling and dispatching techs to jobs
Tracking maintenance agreements and customer information
Creating and sending estimates
Invoicing and mobile payments
Using a best-in-class HVAC software like ServiceTitan gives contractors the ability to build customizable forms and checklists that are seamlessly integrated with other vital business processes. It’s an incomparably superior way to address these and other challenges.
In addition to simply optimizing the HVAC inspection process, our approach integrates it with other core business functions including:
Do you want to see for yourself how ServiceTitan’s HVAC software can give you the tools you need to streamline operations and grow your business? Schedule a call for a free product tour.
