“Here it comes…” My dispatcher and service manager, Luann, is fond of saying when we get close to the shoulder months. In the trades, and in HVAC in particular, a shoulder month is a time when the outside temperature is relatively temperate, and the systems aren’t being used as frequently. When they’re not being used, they’re not being thought about. What Luann is referencing, however, is the crazy schedule that comes when the first freeze hits us. Service calls. A volcano of service calls.

When service comes calling, regular maintenance gets pushed aside. This is why, for mainte-nance, timing is everything. The best time for maintenance is the shoulder season and the end of the regular season. If you are able to get a maintenance done in May and August for AC and October and February for heat, you’re in good shape. If you wait too long, it may be a while before you’re able to be seen. And while every HVAC company does their best to keep on top of these calls, we do need our customers to agree to the timing. If not, you’re risking being out of luck for a little while.

So when is the right time for maintenance? When you’re not thinking about it. When your systems aren’t being used. Doing the maintenance during these times is what will keep you from having to call us in the dead of winter worried about freezing your business out of work.

Gamble Wiseman handles commercial maintenance at Cotti-Johnson HVAC, Inc., Taunton, Mass.