HVAC Repair in Lorain, 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 Lorain County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most of it in the cold
Lorain County only gives your system one real month off. Heat runs October through May, then the system switches to cooling for June through August. Most winter nights sit around 23°F, and that means long, frequent burner cycles if you heat with gas, which most homes here do. Each cycle puts wear on the igniter and the heat exchanger, and a furnace that has run hard since October is the one most likely to quit before spring.
Summer asks less of the system but still asks. Afternoons averaging 81°F keep the compressor cycling most of the day all summer. This county has also logged 112 damaging wind events and 12 winter storms over the last ten years, the kind of weather that knocks out power. Most furnaces and water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns, but a long outage during a cold snap is often when a homeowner finds out something else was already failing.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 81°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 Lorain County home.
Estimates for a typical Lorain 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.
Whether a contractor needs a license for this work depends on Lorain County, not the state of Ohio. Ohio leaves that decision to each county, so there is no single state exam or state record behind the work here. Ohio's definition of a home contractor calls for at least $250,000 in liability insurance, but that is part of the definition, not a test anyone has to pass.
With no state license behind this job, whatever protection exists comes from what Lorain County itself requires, since Ohio has not set that rule at the state level.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace. If the thermostat screen is blank, check the breaker and any switch that looks like a light switch near the furnace itself, since that shuts it off too. A gas furnace with a standing pilot will not run if that pilot light has gone out, and one with an igniter will not run if the igniter has failed or the flame sensor is dirty. Winter nights here drop to 23°F on average, so a furnace that will not fire is not something to leave for later.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The system running but not cooling usually means the air is moving but something is stopping the heat exchange. A dirty filter blocks airflow across the coil, and when airflow drops too low the coil can ice over, which stops cooling even though the blower keeps going. Low refrigerant from a leak does the same thing and will not fix itself by running longer. Check the filter first, since that is the one thing worth looking at before a contractor gets there.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it is set to heat or cool as needed, the batteries are good if it uses them, and the temperature you set is actually above or below the room temperature. Next check the breaker box for a tripped breaker and, on a furnace, the power switch near the unit. Check the air filter too, since a clogged one can cause problems that look like something bigger. If all of that checks out and the system still is not working, a contractor will need to look at it directly.