HVAC Repair in Council Bluffs, 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 Pottawattamie County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, four of cooling, and not much break in between
Your furnace in Council Bluffs runs from October through May. On the winter nights that average 16°F, it cycles on and off for hours, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the heat exchanger. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all, and you find out on one of the coldest nights of the year.
Come June, the same house asks the air conditioner to work through afternoons that average 84°F, four months straight until September. The condenser fan and the compressor take that load every day. Pottawattamie County has seen 16 winter storms and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and outdoor units and power supply both take a hit in weather like that. A furnace or AC that loses power should come back on its own, but if the system was already struggling, that outage is often when it stops for good.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 16°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 Pottawattamie County home.
Estimates for a typical Pottawattamie 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 is the body that licenses HVAC contractors in this state. The license covers the contractor, not the individual job, so it applies to your repair the same as it does to any other mechanical work they take on.
For a repair like this, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. A bad gas connection is the part of this job that can hurt someone, and in Iowa the license is what puts a name and a record behind whoever made it.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often the thermostat, the igniter, or a safety switch is stopping it. If the thermostat screen is blank, check the breaker before anything else. A furnace that tries to start and shuts off again is usually tripping a safety switch, often because the filter is clogged and airflow is too low. At 16°F on a winter night here, a furnace that will not stay lit needs a contractor out the same day, not a wait and see.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The blower is moving air, but something between the coil and the room is not doing its job. A dirty filter or a frozen coil are the two most common reasons, and both start the same way, with airflow slowly getting worse until the coil ices over. Check the filter first. If the coil has ice on it, turn the system off and let it thaw before calling anyone, since running it iced up can damage the compressor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat batteries and settings first. Then check the breaker panel for a tripped switch, and check the filter, since a filter clogged enough to choke airflow can cause both heating and cooling problems. If the outdoor unit is not running, make sure nothing is blocking it and that the disconnect switch nearby is pushed in. If all of that checks out and the system still is not working right, a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it.