HVAC Repair in Cleveland, OH
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Cuyahoga County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most nights below freezing
Your furnace runs from October through May here, and on a lot of those nights it's working against cold near 23°F. That means long burner cycles, night after night, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor. When one of those finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all and the house goes cold fast.
Come summer your AC only gets three months to do its job, June through August, with afternoons around 80°F. It doesn't run as hard as the furnace does, but the compressor still has to start and stop on the hottest days, and that's when a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge shows up. Cuyahoga County has also logged 17 winter storms and 221 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and either one can knock out power and force a system to restart cold.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $180 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Cuyahoga County home.
Estimates for a typical Cuyahoga County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Ohio 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.
In Ohio, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the counties.
Ohio does not run a state license for home HVAC work. That decision is left to the counties, so whether a contractor is licensed for this job depends on where in Cuyahoga County the house sits. Ohio does set one thing at the state level. Its definition of a home improvement contractor requires carrying at least $250,000 in liability insurance. That is a definition written into state law, not a license, and it does not mean anyone was tested or approved.
For a repair to your heating and cooling system, that insurance requirement is the one piece of protection set at the state level. Anything else, a license or a registration, is a local matter here, not a state one. Ohio's own rule for this job stops at that insurance definition.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- 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. Next check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, often on the side or on a nearby wall. If both are on and you still have no heat, check the filter. A filter packed with dust can block airflow badly enough that a gas furnace shuts itself down as a safety measure. If the furnace runs a startup cycle and then cuts off, or does not attempt to start at all, that points to something inside it, like the igniter or the flame sensor, and a contractor will need to look at it directly.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A clogged filter starves the system of airflow, and when that happens the coil inside can ice over, so the air coming out feels weak or even warm. Check the thermostat is set to cool, not fan only, since fan only just moves air around without cooling it. Look outside at the condenser unit and clear away any leaves, grass clippings, or anything blocking its sides, since it needs open airflow to release heat. If the outdoor unit is not running at all while the indoor blower is, or if you see ice on the indoor coil or the refrigerant line, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the compressor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it uses them, and the breaker for the furnace or air conditioner. Check the filter and replace it if it looks gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes problems in both heating and cooling. Check that all supply vents in the house are open and not blocked by furniture or rugs. Outside, make sure the condenser unit has clear space around it. If you have a gas furnace, check that the switch on or near the unit is in the on position, since it is sometimes bumped off by accident. If everything checks out and the system still is not working, a contractor will need to diagnose what is wrong inside it.