HVAC Repair in Burlington, IA
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Des Moines County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, four of cooling, and not much rest between
Your furnace in Burlington runs from October through May. On nights that average 19°F in the dead of winter, it cycles on and off for hours, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the parts that get the burner lit. When one of those parts finally gives out, the house goes cold on the coldest night you have had all year.
Come summer, your air conditioner takes over for June through September, working against afternoons that average 84°F. That is a hard swing for one system to cover twelve months a year, and it shows up first as a system that struggles to keep up on the hottest and coldest days. Storms are part of the picture too. Burlington has seen 88 damaging wind events and 17 winter storms over the past ten years, and either one can knock out the power a system needs to run at all.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $120 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Des Moines County home.
Estimates for a typical Des Moines County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Iowa 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.
Iowa requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board issues that license, and it tests the contractor before granting it. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers the person, not this particular repair.
For a repair like this, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. A gas connection that is not sealed right is the dangerous part of a repair, and in Iowa the licensed contractor is the one accountable for getting it right.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and set above the room temperature, and check that it has power if it runs on batteries. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts it off for service and gets left off by accident. A furnace that still won't fire after that has a problem inside it, often the igniter or the flame sensor, and that calls for a licensed contractor. With winter nights here averaging 19°F, it's worth checking these things right away rather than waiting.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice over, so the system runs but the air coming out is barely cool. Next check the outdoor unit and clear away any leaves, grass clippings or anything else blocking it. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and you're still not getting cold air, the system is low on refrigerant or has an electrical problem, and a licensed contractor needs to look at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and its batteries if it has any. Check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and check any switch near the indoor or outdoor unit that could have been bumped off. Check the filter and replace it if it's dirty, since a blocked filter causes both heating and cooling problems. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves or debris, clear it. If none of that fixes it, the problem is inside the system, and Iowa requires whoever works on it to hold a state license through the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board.