Maintenance & Seasonal
How should I handle HVAC in a rental or second home?
For Des Moines rentals, second homes, and additions, the goal is the same — protect a system that’s unattended or unevenly used through Iowa’s deep winter and humid summer.
Three situations
What’s different about HVAC for a property you don’t live in full time?
The big risk in Des Moines, IA is an unattended system during deep cold. Whether it’s a rental, a second home, or a new addition, the playbook is freeze protection, remote monitoring, seasonal service, and a maintenance plan so a small problem never becomes frozen pipes or a tenant without heat.
Rental properties
- Schedule maintenance yourself — tenants rarely change filters or book tune-ups
- Set up filter reminders or supply filters so airflow stays protected
- Give tenants a clear service contact and our emergency line for no-heat nights
- Keep records of every visit to protect equipment warranties between turnovers
Second & vacation homes
- Never fully shut the heat off in winter — hold the mid-50s°F to keep pipes from freezing
- Use a smart thermostat with freeze and temperature alerts you can watch remotely
- Have someone check on the home during extended deep-cold stretches
- Book a tune-up before each season, since an unevenly used system still ages
Additions & extra spaces
- A new addition can overload a system that was sized for the original square footage
- Options include extending ductwork or adding a ductless mini-split for the new space
- Zoning or a mini-split lets you condition a bonus room without overworking the main system
- Have the load calculated before adding square footage so comfort stays even
Adding a room and not sure whether to extend ducts or add a ductless unit? Compare the approaches in our mini-split vs. central air guide , then a maintenance plan keeps the system on schedule even when no one is there to call.
Iowa local truth
“I’ll just shut everything off when the house is empty in winter.” In an Iowa winter, a fully-off system risks frozen, burst pipes and thousands in water damage. Keep the heat at a safe minimum — many owners hold the mid-50s°F — and use a thermostat with freeze alerts so you know the instant the heat drops.
Common questions
How should I handle HVAC in a rental property?
Treat maintenance as the owner's job: schedule the seasonal tune-ups, make filter changes easy, keep service records for the warranty, and give tenants a clear way to report problems plus an emergency line for no-heat situations in winter.
What temperature should I leave a vacant home in winter in Iowa?
Keep the heat on at a safe minimum — many owners hold the mid-50s°F — so pipes do not freeze while the home is empty. A smart thermostat with freeze alerts lets you catch a heating problem before it becomes burst-pipe damage.
Can I add a room without replacing my whole system?
Often, yes. A ductless mini-split can condition an addition or bonus room on its own, and zoning can extend an existing system. The right choice depends on a load calculation, so the new space does not steal comfort from the rest of the house.
Do you service rentals and second homes around Des Moines?
Yes. All Seasons HVAC serves Des Moines and the surrounding metro, with maintenance plans to keep an unattended system on schedule and emergency service when a property loses heat or cooling.