A heat pump in Fort Collins works two jobs: it heats through 5,797 heating degree days and cools through a short, hot summer. That is why it is serviced twice a year, not once — a spring visit before the cooling season and a fall visit before the heating season, in the March–April and September–October shoulder seasons. DNA Refrigeration does heat pump maintenance across Fort Collins. Call (970) 932-2324.
Heat pump maintenance is a twice-yearly service visit that cleans the coils, checks the refrigerant circuit, tests the defrost cycle and auxiliary heat, and verifies airflow — once in the spring before cooling season and once in the fall before heating season. A furnace gets one annual visit because it does one job. A heat pump does two, and each season exposes a different failure.
The fall visit is about winter capacity. The defrost cycle is tested, auxiliary heat staging is verified, and the outdoor coil is checked for the airflow it will need when the temperature drops. A heat pump that cannot defrost properly ices over in January, and a system whose auxiliary heat is stuck on burns electricity all winter without anyone noticing — until the bill arrives. Fort Collins’ 99.6% winter design temperature is around 0°F (ASHRAE 99.6% value 0.1°F), so the heating side is not a formality.
The spring visit is about cooling and air quality. Coils are cleaned, refrigerant charge is checked, and the filter is inspected before the summer — which in Fort Collins is also wildfire-smoke season. After the Cameron Peak Fire of 2020, the largest in Colorado history at 208,663 acres, smoke is a real summer factor here: a clean filter and a sealed cooling system matter, and a heat pump running with a dirty coil and a clogged filter will not keep up on a 90°F afternoon. Fort Collins sees about 30 days a year at or above 90°F.
Fort Collins sits at 5,003 feet, and the City’s mechanical guide puts furnace derating at 10–20% at this elevation — sea-level ratings do not apply here, so heat pumps are sized from a Manual J load calculation at altitude, not from nameplate tonnage.
Six checks, twice a year. The spring and fall visits cover the same system from opposite directions.
The fall visit verifies the heat pump can still hold capacity at low temperatures: the defrost cycle is tested, the outdoor coil is inspected for airflow, and auxiliary heat staging is confirmed. A system that ices over in January was usually telling you in October.
The spring visit cleans the coils, checks refrigerant charge, and verifies the system cools properly before the first hot week. Fort Collins’ cooling season is short but sharp — about 30 days a year at or above 90°F — and a dirty coil is the difference between keeping up and falling behind.
The defrost board, sensors and reversing valve are tested. A heat pump that cannot defrost builds ice on the outdoor coil, loses capacity, and eventually locks out — usually on the coldest night of the year.
Filters are checked and coils are cleaned. In wildfire-smoke season a clean, well-sealed system with a good filter is what keeps indoor air liveable; a clogged filter chokes airflow and a dirty coil kills both heating and cooling capacity.
Electrical connections, capacitors, contactors and control-board fault codes are checked on every visit. A capacitor that is drifting out of spec is a cheap fix in April and a dead compressor in July.
On dual-fuel systems, the switchover point is verified and the gas furnace half is checked with it. A switchover that has drifted wastes gas or leaves the heat pump running past its useful range.
Before the cooling season: coils cleaned, refrigerant charge checked, filter inspected, electrical components tested, and the system run through a full cooling cycle.
Before the heating season: defrost cycle tested, auxiliary heat staging verified, outdoor coil checked, and the system run through a full heating cycle.
Indoor and outdoor coils are cleaned, filters are checked, and the condensate drain is flushed. A clean system is an efficient system — and a system that can defrost.
Refrigerant pressures, electrical readings, airflow, and control-board fault codes are all checked against specification. Anything drifting out of range is flagged.
You get a plain account of the system’s condition: what is fine, what is wearing, and what to watch. If a part is near the end of its life, you hear about it in the shoulder season — not in January or July.
Before the cooling season: coils cleaned, refrigerant charge checked, filter inspected, electrical components tested, and the system run through a full cooling cycle.
Twice-yearly heat pump visits, at a glance.
| Visit | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Spring visit | March to April | Coils cleaned, refrigerant charge checked, filter inspected, electrical components tested, and the system run through a full cooling cycle |
| Fall visit | September to October | Defrost cycle tested, auxiliary heat staging verified, outdoor coil checked, and the system run through a full heating cycle |
Reads refrigerant pressures and verifies charge against the manufacturer’s charging chart.
Tests capacitors, contactors, control board voltage, and defrost sensors.
Cleans indoor and outdoor coils without damaging the fins.
Supply and return air temperatures confirm the system is heating and cooling to specification.
Measures compressor and fan motor current draw — a motor drawing high amps is a motor about to fail.
Checks the refrigerant circuit for leaks. Refrigerant handling follows EPA Section 608 rules.
Southridge dual-fuel systems face their hardest test in January, when the heat pump has to hold capacity and hand over to the furnace cleanly. A fall visit tests the defrost cycle and verifies the switchover before the cold arrives.
After: The visit confirms the heat pump defrosts properly, the auxiliary heat stages correctly, and the furnace half is ready — so the coldest nights are covered by the system working as designed, not by emergency calls.
Call (970) 932-2324 →Rigden Farm heat pumps head into summer with a dirty coil and a filter that has been in place since autumn. The spring visit cleans both, checks the refrigerant charge, and verifies cooling before the first 90°F afternoon — and before wildfire-smoke season.
After: The visit leaves the system ready for the cooling season and for smoke season: clean coils, a fresh filter, verified charge, and airflow that holds up on the hottest afternoons.
Call (970) 932-2324 →Campus West rentals see the classic pattern: filters neglected between tenants and systems that have not been serviced in years. With only 51.6% of Fort Collins homes owner-occupied, landlord and property-manager maintenance is a large part of the market.
After: A turnover maintenance visit resets the system: filter replaced, coils cleaned, defrost and charge checked, and the heat pump documented as serviced before the next tenant moves in.
Call (970) 932-2324 →Most heat pump breakdowns were visible at the last missed maintenance visit. Here are the four we catch most.
Ask a pro →A heat pump that cannot defrost builds ice on the outdoor coil and loses capacity. The fall visit tests the defrost board, sensors and reversing valve before winter.
Auxiliary heat that never stages off burns electricity all winter. The fall visit verifies staging — and the electric bill is the giveaway if it is missed. If the system turns on and off every few minutes instead, see why your heat pump keeps turning on and off.
A dirty outdoor coil cannot move heat, in either direction. Cleaning it twice a year is what keeps the system holding its rated capacity.
A slow leak shows up as a system that heats and cools a little worse every month. The spring visit checks charge and looks for leaks before the decline becomes a failure.
Colorado has no state HVAC licence — HVAC work in Fort Collins is licensed by the City of Fort Collins, not the state. Colorado licenses only electricians and plumbers at the state level. Fort Collins licenses HVAC contractors through the City — ask us for our licence details when you call. We pull a mechanical permit for replacements through the City’s Accela portal, and size equipment to ACCA Manual J. Refrigerant handling follows EPA Section 608 rules.
“Denis always does a great job taking care of our 9 locations. Goes above & beyond to make sure our shops stay running smoothly. We have him do walk-in installations & maintenance, HVAC installation & maintenance, ice machine maintenance & installations, preventative maintenance & repairs on all of our sandwich tables and cabinets.”
Tom LoftusGoogle review · a year ago
✓ Verified“These guys rock! Anytime we need something, Denis pops in and fixes it like it was nothing. Everyone from their crew has a great attitude, and we won’t call anyone else for our heating, cooling, or other general maintenance work! Read the first sentence again.”
Mike DeeGoogle review · a year ago
✓ VerifiedTwice a year — once in the spring before cooling season and once in the fall before heating season. A furnace gets one annual visit because it does one job; a heat pump heats through 5,797 heating degree days and cools through the summer, so each season gets its own visit. The shoulder seasons, March–April and September–October, are the window.
Coil cleaning, filter checks, refrigerant charge verification, defrost cycle and auxiliary heat testing, electrical component checks, control-board fault-code review, condensate drain service, and airflow measurement. On dual-fuel systems the gas furnace half is checked and the switchover is verified at the same visit.
Some frost is normal — the defrost cycle clears it. Ice that builds up and stays means the defrost cycle is not working, airflow is restricted by a dirty coil or filter, or the refrigerant charge is low. A heat pump that ices over loses capacity and can lock out; it needs diagnosis, not just a thaw.
Yes. The spring visit — March to April — cleans the coils, checks the charge, and verifies cooling before the first hot week. Fort Collins sees about 30 days a year at or above 90°F, and the cooling season runs June through September, so a spring tune-up is the difference between a system that keeps up and one that falls behind.
The shoulder seasons are the window — March–April for cooling, September–October for heating. Call (970) 932-2324 and book the heat pump maintenance visit before the season it serves. We are open 24 hours, every day.
Call Now (970) 932-2324 →Call us at (970) 932-2324 any time, day or night. We are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. There is no email address for the business — the phone is the way to reach us.