HVAC Repair in Durango, CO
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers La Plata County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat a year wears a furnace down fast
Your furnace in La Plata County works from September through June. That is ten months a year of nightly cycles. On winter nights that average 16°F it runs long and often to keep up. Every start puts wear on the igniter and the parts that light the burner. That is usually where an older furnace gives out first, either it won't fire or it fires and quits.
Summer asks little of a cooling system here, with afternoons averaging 79°F. If something is wrong with your air conditioning, it is more likely a part that sat unused all year than one worn from hard running. Winter is different. La Plata County has logged 128 winter storms and 30 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. Most furnaces restart on their own once power returns. If yours doesn't fire back up after an outage, that is worth a call.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $120 a year off heating and cooling for a typical La Plata County home.
Estimates for a typical La Plata County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Colorado fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the furnace's heat exchanger is cracked, the air conditioner's compressor has failed, or repairs keep coming.
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. Check the breaker next, since a tripped breaker will shut the furnace down with no warning. If those are fine, listen for the furnace trying to start. A furnace that clicks but will not light often has a bad igniter or a flame sensor that needs cleaning. One that does not respond at all may not be getting power or gas. With winter lows here around 16°F, a furnace that is not heating needs attention fast, so if the basics check out, call for repair the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and blow warm air even though the system is running. Check the thermostat setting too, and make sure nothing is blocking a vent or the return. If the filter is clean and air is moving but it is not cold, the system may be low on refrigerant, which is not something to add yourself. A contractor will need to check the charge and find where it is leaking.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first, that it is set to the right mode and temperature, and that the display is lit up at all. Check the breaker box for anything tripped. Pull the air filter and hold it up to a light. If you cannot see light through it, replace it, since a blocked filter causes problems that look like bigger failures. If you have a furnace, listen for whether it tries to start at all or shuts off partway through, and tell the contractor what you heard. That detail alone can point straight to the problem.