By Commercial Service Company · September 7, 2026
Heating season in central Arkansas does not ease in. We will run 80 degrees the last week of October and then wake up to 34 on a Tuesday. That first cold morning is when every restaurant, church, grocery store, clinic and shop from Conway to Little Rock to Benton calls for heat for the first time in seven months, and finds out what quit over the summer.
Why the first cold snap creates a week-long backlog
Heating equipment sits idle from March to October. In that time, dust packs the burners, bearings dry out, belts glaze and crack, rodents get into cabinets, and rooftop units take a full summer of sun, hail and wind. None of that shows up until the unit is asked to fire.
The problem is that it shows up for everybody on the same morning. There are only so many service technicians in central Arkansas, and when the temperature drops overnight, the phones do not stop. No-heat calls get triaged, and a business that is cold but open waits behind a business that is cold and closed. A repair that would have taken one visit in October becomes a two-day wait plus a parts order in December. Scheduling a heat check ahead of the weather is the difference between being a maintenance stop and being an emergency.
What a commercial heating startup actually covers
A proper fall startup is a full inspection and test run, not a thermostat bump. On most commercial gas or electric heat, expect a technician to cover:
- Visual inspection of the unit, cabinet, panels, gaskets and mounting or curb
- Burner and gas train inspection and cleaning, performed by a licensed technician
- Ignition and flame-sensing check, plus verification that every safety control works as designed
- Heat exchanger inspection for cracks, rust-through, warping or separation
- Blower wheel, motor and belt: cleanliness, tension, bearing condition and amp draw
- Filters replaced, coils and return paths checked for airflow restriction
- Electrical inspection: contactors, relays, wiring and connections checked and tightened
- Flue, venting and combustion air openings checked for blockage, corrosion or nesting
- Condensate pans and drains on units that also run cooling
- Thermostat and control operation, staging, and a full run cycle in heat with temperature rise measured
Burners and gas are not a DIY item
This is the part where we tell you to stop. Anything involving gas piping, gas valves, burners, combustion adjustment or the safety controls that shut a unit down belongs to a licensed technician, full stop. The same goes for anything inside an energized electrical panel. A safety switch that keeps tripping is doing its job and telling you something; bypassing it, jumping it, taping it or repeatedly resetting a lockout is how a small problem becomes a fire or a carbon monoxide event. If a unit will not stay lit, leave it off and call.
The heat exchanger is the one that matters most
A heat exchanger separates the combustion side of a furnace or rooftop unit from the air your customers and staff breathe. When it cracks or rusts through, combustion byproducts can get into the supply air. You cannot see it from the thermostat, and you cannot judge it from the floor. If you smell exhaust, notice soot, see a flame that rolls out or shifts hard when the blower starts, or if a CO alarm sounds, shut the unit down and get a licensed technician on site. Do not run it in the meantime.
Rooftop units take the worst of it
Most commercial buildings in our area heat with rooftop units, and they live outside through an Arkansas summer. Loose panels, failed gaskets, damaged flue caps and bird nests in the combustion air path are common by fall. An economizer stuck open will pull freezing outside air straight into the building and run your heat nonstop while nobody understands why the dining room is cold. Those are cheap finds in October and expensive ones in January.
What your staff can handle, and where to stop
- Keep filters on a written schedule and keep spares on hand
- Keep stock, boxes and shelving away from return air grilles
- Keep roof access clear and safe for the technician
- Write down odd smells, noises, short cycling and which zones lag
- Stop at the panel: gas, electrical and safety controls are technician work
Get on the schedule before the rush
September and October are the window. If you run multiple locations, stagger them over a few weeks so no single day shuts down a store. Ask for a written report on each unit so you know what is fine, what is worn, and what needs a part ordered while lead times are still normal.
Commercial Service Company has been keeping central Arkansas businesses running since 1976, and we cover Conway, Little Rock, Benton, Bryant, Maumelle, Jacksonville, Searcy, Russellville and the surrounding area. Call us at 501-548-2374 to get your fall heat check on the schedule before the first cold snap does it for you.