HVAC Repair in Toledo, 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 Lucas County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work a year
Your furnace runs October through May here, and on winter nights averaging 22°F it cycles on and off most of the night to keep up. Each start means the igniter has to light the burner again, and that part wears with every cycle. When it finally fails, the burner won't light at all.
Summer is shorter, just June through August, but afternoons averaging 83°F still push the air conditioner's compressor hard for the whole stretch. Lucas County has seen 8 winter storms and 91 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and in 2024, 18% of Ohio households lost power for 24 hours or more. A furnace or air conditioner that sits dark through an outage like that does not always come back on clean once the power returns.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 83°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 Lucas County home.
Estimates for a typical Lucas 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.
Lucas County sets its own rule for who can do this kind of work, because Ohio leaves HVAC licensing for homes to the counties. There is no state license and no state record for a contractor doing this job. Ohio's definition of a home contractor calls for at least $250,000 in liability insurance, but that is part of a definition, not a license anyone has to earn.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, whatever licensing requirement applies here comes from Lucas County, not the state. Gas connections are the part of this kind of repair that matters most to get right. Whether that insurance requirement applies to the contractor doing this job depends on how Lucas County has set up its own rule.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace before you assume the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and a few degrees above room temperature, and check the breaker for the furnace hasn't tripped. If you have a gas furnace, look at the switch on the unit itself, it should be in the on position, and the filter should not be so clogged that air can't move through it. Winter nights here drop to 22°F on average, so a furnace that won't start is not something to leave for later. If power or the thermostat checks out and it still won't run, that points to something inside the unit that needs a contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the system runs but the air isn't cold, check the filter first. A filter packed with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and that can keep the house from cooling even though the blower is working fine. Next check the outdoor unit, the condenser, and make sure nothing is pressed up against it blocking airflow, like grass clippings or leaves. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and the air still isn't cold, the system likely has a refrigerant leak or a failing compressor, and that needs a contractor to check with gauges.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the breaker, and the filter, in that order. Make sure the thermostat is set to the right mode and temperature, and check it has batteries if it uses them. Check the breaker panel for anything tripped. Pull the filter and hold it up to a light. If you can't see light through it, replace it, since a blocked filter alone can cause weak heat, weak cooling, or a system that won't run at all. If you've checked all three and the problem is still there, a contractor will need to look at the unit itself.