HVAC Repair in Mentor, 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 Lake County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work, in Mentor's weather
Your furnace runs October through May here. On winter nights that average 23°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control board. When one of those fails, the burner won't light and the house goes cold, usually on the coldest night, when the furnace is working hardest.
Your air conditioner gets a shorter season, June through August, but summer afternoons averaging 80°F still push the compressor and the condenser fan hard. Add in the wind and winter storms this area sees most years, and the outdoor unit and any power interruption they bring are just as likely to be behind a system that won't start. Most furnaces and AC units come back on their own once power returns, but if yours doesn't, that's worth a call.
- 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 Lake County home.
Estimates for a typical Lake 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.
In Lake County, whether a contractor needs a license depends on the county's own rules. Ohio does not set a state license for this work and leaves that choice to local government. What Ohio does set is a definition. A home contractor there is expected to carry at least $250,000 in liability insurance. That is not a license and nobody is tested to meet it. It only means a business calling itself a home contractor is on record as carrying that coverage.
For a repair like this, no state license backs up the person doing the work. The protection here comes from whatever Lake County itself requires, since Ohio left that decision to the county rather than answering it statewide.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often it is the igniter or the flame sensor if you have a gas furnace, which is what heats 8 out of 10 homes in this area. A dirty flame sensor will make the furnace shut off a few seconds after it starts, and a cracked igniter will stop it from starting at all. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and above room temperature, and check the breaker for the furnace before anything else. At 23°F on a winter night here, a furnace that will not stay lit needs a contractor out soon.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air is not cold, the problem is usually with the outdoor unit or the refrigerant in the system. A coil covered in ice, a dirty outdoor coil, or a low refrigerant charge can all cause this. Go outside and look at the outdoor unit. If the coil is iced over, turn the system off and let it thaw before a contractor looks at it, since running it iced can damage the compressor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat or cool as needed and that the batteries are not dead. Next, check the filter and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since a blocked filter cuts down airflow and can cause a furnace or air conditioner to shut itself off. Then check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and if you have a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve is open. If the outdoor unit is covered in ice or debris, that is worth noting when you describe the problem to a contractor.