Ignoring fall maintenance doesn’t just put your equipment at risk; it puts your entire operation—from tenant comfort to energy budgets—in jeopardy. Think of fall maintenance as your building’s seasonal insurance policy: it ensures safety, maximizes efficiency, and prevents costly, inconvenient failures when the weather turns truly cold.

The Critical Benefits of Fall Maintenance

The return on investment (ROI) for preventative fall maintenance far outweighs the cost of a service visit. Here’s why proactive service is non-negotiable for commercial properties:

• Maximize Heating Efficiency (and Savings): When components are dirty, worn, or misaligned, your furnace or boiler has to work harder to produce the same heat. A tune-up ensures the system operates at its peak Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), directly translating into lower energy bills throughout the winter.
• Prevent Dangerous Failures: For gas-fired heating systems, safety is paramount. Technicians check for cracks in the heat exchanger (which can lead to carbon monoxide leaks) and ensure all gas lines and ignition systems are functioning correctly, protecting occupants and property.
• Extend Equipment Lifespan: Like any complex machinery, proper cleaning and calibration reduce stress on critical moving parts. This preventative care delays the need for expensive unit replacement, maximizing the useful life of your major capital equipment.
• Protect Against Winter Breakdowns: The worst time for your boiler or furnace to fail is during a winter freeze. Fall maintenance identifies worn parts (like contactors or blower motor bearings) that are likely to fail under continuous winter load, allowing you to replace them on your schedule, not in an emergency.

Equipment Serviced During a Fall HVAC Tune-Up

A comprehensive fall maintenance program covers all heating elements and prepares the ventilation system for seasonal changes. The equipment typically serviced includes:

1. Heating Equipment (Furnaces, Boilers, Unit Heaters)

This is the central focus of a fall check-up, ensuring the system can safely and efficiently generate heat.

2. Air Handling & Distribution

The system that moves the heat must also be optimized for winter operation.

3. Controls and Sensors

The “brains” of the system must be calibrated for seamless, efficient operation.

Proactive fall maintenance is a fundamental pillar of effective facility management, guaranteeing that your building stays safe, comfortable, and efficient all winter long.

If you have a contract we automatically scheduled your preventative maintenance. If you don’t have a contract, reach out and get a no obligation service contract proposal. Would you like to schedule a fall maintenance check for your commercial building’s HVAC system?

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What is Legionnaires’ Disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is not spread from person to person. You get it by inhaling tiny water droplets containing the Legionella bacteria. Symptoms, which typically appear 2 to 14 days after exposure, are similar to other types of pneumonia and can include:

• High fever
• Chills and muscle aches
• Cough and shortness of breath
• Headache

People over 50, current or former smokers, and those with weakened immune systems or chronic lung disease are at a higher risk of developing the illness. A milder, non-pneumonic form of the disease, called Pontiac fever, also exists, causing flu-like symptoms that usually clear up on their own without treatment.

The HVAC Connection

Large, complex HVAC systems, particularly those with cooling towers, are a significant source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks. Cooling towers use water to remove heat from a building, and if not properly maintained, the warm, stagnant water can create an ideal breeding ground for Legionella bacteria. The bacteria can then become aerosolized and spread throughout the building or even to nearby areas, infecting anyone who breathes in the contaminated mist.

This isn’t a concern for small, residential window units or central air conditioners that don’t use water to cool the air. The risk is primarily associated with large-scale systems found in places like:

• Hospitals and nursing homes
• Hotels
• Large office buildings
• Industrial facilities

A Recurring Concern: Recent Outbreaks in NYC

The threat of Legionnaires’ disease is not a historical footnote; it remains a current and serious public health issue. New York City, in particular, has seen a recent cluster of cases, highlighting the ongoing risk. In late July 2025, a sudden outbreak in Central Harlem sickened dozens and, tragically, led to several deaths. Health officials in the city quickly investigated and identified 11 cooling towers in the area that tested positive for Legionella bacteria. All of the contaminated towers were promptly cleaned and disinfected according to city regulations.

This isn’t an isolated incident. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has a robust system for surveillance and has previously addressed other outbreaks. The city’s regulations, which mandate the registration and regular maintenance of all cooling towers, are a direct response to the recurring public health threat posed by improperly managed water systems. These incidents serve as a stark reminder of why proactive maintenance is not just a best practice, but a critical legal and ethical responsibility for building owners.

The Importance of HVAC Maintenance

Regular, proactive HVAC maintenance is the single most effective way to prevent the growth and spread of Legionella bacteria. By implementing a comprehensive water management plan, building managers can significantly reduce the risk of an outbreak. Key maintenance practices include:

• Routine cleaning and disinfection: Cooling towers should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a year, and more often if heavy biofouling or high bacteria levels are detected.
• Temperature control: Legionella thrives in warm water. Maintaining cold water systems at temperatures below 68°F (20°C) and hot water systems above 140°F (60°C) can inhibit bacterial growth.
• Avoiding water stagnation: Stagnant water in unused pipes, tanks, or drain pans provides a perfect environment for Legionella to multiply. Regularly flushing unused outlets and ensuring proper drainage is essential.
• Biocide treatments: Using chemical biocides, such as chlorine, helps control microbial growth in the water systems.

Proper HVAC maintenance isn’t just about efficiency and comfort—it’s a critical for health. By following a regular maintenance schedule, building owners and managers can protect occupants from a serious and preventable disease.

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RTU’s need regular system maintenance to function at peak efficiency. The roof exposes your unit to extreme weather. It is colder and/or hotter up there depending on the weather. Unlike other types of heating and air conditioning systems that are either inside the building or outside on the ground, the RTU is exposed to much more extreme temperatures and more pollutants. Ambient temperatures on the roof of a building can reach 120 degrees on hot summer days. Pollutants collect on the components of the unit causing it to lose efficiency and even degrade. Excessive heat causes the unit to work harder to produce comfortable conditions in your building.

Regular system inspections prevent inconvenient system breakdowns, increase the life of your system and will reduce utility bills. HVAC systems have over 100 components and many common component issues increase energy usage. You can see more on this chart of the Building efficiency initiative that describes in detail the greatest energy impacts with the various components.

“Portland Energy Conservation Inc. found that building operation and maintenance programs specifically designed to enhance the operating efficiency of HVAC and lighting systems decreased energy bills 5 to 20 percent in commercial buildings, without significant capital investment.^“

Controlled Air, Inc. offers custom service and maintenance packages. Below is a list of items typically done during a maintenance appointment.

• Changing filters to keep dirt and debris out of the ductwork and the system components
• Checking blowers for proper airflow
• Checking the electrical system, fuses, thermostats, and contactors
• Checking belts and replacing if necessary
• Cleaning dirt, soot and mold from the condenser coil, including measuring before and after temperatures to verify effectiveness
• Inspecting evaporator coils and clean as needed
• Checking refrigerant charge and fix any leaks
• Checking cabinet integrity for air leaks caused by cracks, missing screws, loose latches and faulty gaskets

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1. Short-Cycling: Air conditioners cycle on and off occasionally throughout the day, but a dirty air filter can cause those cycles to become more frequent. The constant cycling creates noise pollution, wasted energy,  uncomfortable temperature changes, and damage to the unit.
2. Freezing Up: A dirty air filter restricts the flow of cold air. The cold air then builds up inside the air conditioner and lowers the internal temperature. The buildup of cold air can eventually cause ice to form on the coils.
3. Uneven Cooling: Even if coil freezing does not occur, restricted airflow is not good for the air conditioner’s cooling power. Lower cooling power will lead to hot and cold spots, which means lower comfort levels at a higher cost.
4. Allergen Buildup: Dirty air filters can cause allergens to build up in your duct system. Whenever you have a forced-air system running, those allergens will be released into the air. There have been numerous studies conducted comparing indoor air quality to worker productivity. Poor indoor air quality has been found to lower attention span and productivity, and OSHA estimates that poor indoor air costs employers $15 billion annually due to worker inefficiency and sick-leave.
5. General Wear and Tear: Air conditioners last longer when maintained properly. A good air filter prevents dust and dirt from building up on internal components. When dust and dirt are allowed to buildup, the air conditioner’s performance becomes stressed thereby decreasing the life span of the unit. This results in having to replace units much sooner than expected.
6. Reduced System Efficiency: An air conditioning unit with a dirty filter will use much more power to cool, and will increase your payments to the utilities.

Thermostat Settings – Facts

1. Raising and lowering the thermostat significantly does not heat or cool the air faster
   • Unless you have Variable Air Volume (VAV), which would vary air flow to your system they only work at one speed. Lowering temperature below what you need or raising the temperature above what you need will only increase energy costs and not reduce the time to get to optimum temperature.
2. Leaving your thermostat at the same setting can save money
   • Using programmable thermostats can save your business money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, simply turning down your thermostat by 7º -10º for an 8-hour period can save your business as much as 10% a year in energy costs. Schedule the temperature to be lower in the winter and higher in the summer when the building is unoccupied and higher in the winter and lower in the summer when occupied. If you have older pneumatic thermostats it might be time to upgrade these to programmable ones so that the temperature can be controlled automatically throughout the day.
3. Messing with your thermostat too much can cause problems
   • Constantly changing the set temperature on your thermostat causes your air conditioner and furnace and/or boiler to stop and start, which causes them to run inefficiently.

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• Replace filters
• Clean and adjust dampers
• Check Condensate traps for water
• Check fans and belts
• Dampers to make sure bolts are secure, parts are lubricated, blades open and close securely
• Inspect evaporators and condenser coils; check refrigerant – These should be all set from the Spring Maintenance
• Basic Operational Check

If any issues are noticed we will notify our customers of the issue and prove a quote on repair costs.

Call Our Service Department

Questions about your equipment or service? Give us a call.

203-483-5000

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Cooling towers, evaporative condensers and fluid coolers use a fan to move air through a recirculated water system. This allows a considerable amount of water vapor to be introduced into the surrounding area. This water may be in the ideal temperature range for Legionnaires’ disease bacteria growth, 68°-122°F. Legionella grows easily in the water, especially if algae and scale are present. Legionella can be dispersed with aerosolized drift or with the evaporate, but it may enter the air-conditioning system if there is a break between its ducts and those of the cooling tower or evaporative condenser.

Proper maintenance can prevent the spread of this bacteria.The cleaning of cooling towers should occur quarterly. Corroded parts, such as drift eliminators, should be replaced. Algae and accumulated scale should be removed. These measures will not only control the growth of bacteria, but will also maintain operating efficiency. During cleaning operations in confined spaces, safety procedures for entry into confined spaces should be applied.

Cooling water should be treated constantly. Ideally, an automatic water treatment system that continuously controls the quality of the circulating water should be used.

Fresh air intakes should not be built close to cooling towers since contaminated aerosols may enter the ventilation system. Air filters should be examined, cleaned and/or replaced periodically and tested for leaks. Cooling towers should be positioned so the drift or evaporate does not enter the fresh air intake.  The water system should be flushed out on a regular basis to prevent the water from stagnating.

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As a business owner it is important to make sure that you get proper installation on any new equipment that you purchase for your building. Don’t get stuck paying for the same job twice and don’t let this happen to you.

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1. Cleaning and filling cooling towers
2. Turning on chillers
3. Changing filters & belts
4. Greasing bearings
5. checking all electrical systems
6. Checking refrigerant levels
7. Basic operational check
8. Checking pump and fan motors
9. Punching the tubes in water cooled condensers (we really don’t punch the tubes, it is a process of using a brush to clean copper tubes)

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