HVAC Repair in Le Mars, IA
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 Plymouth 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
Your furnace is the machine doing the work here. Heat is needed October through May, eight months, and nights in the dead of winter average 13°F. At that temperature the furnace runs long and often, and every cycle puts a load on the igniter and the blower motor. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all.
Summer is short here, just June through August, but afternoons average 83°F and the air conditioner has to work hard in that short stretch. Plymouth County has also seen 26 winter storms and 51 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and storms like that knock out power. Most systems come back on by themselves once power returns, but a furnace or air conditioner that was already struggling before the outage can fail to restart.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 13°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 $130 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Plymouth County home.
Estimates for a typical Plymouth 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.
Iowa's license comes from the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, and it belongs to the contractor, not to the job. The state tested this contractor before they were allowed to call themselves an HVAC contractor at all, and the board keeps a record of who they are. It doesn't mean an inspector signs off on your particular repair.
For a repair like this one, that license is what stands behind the person coming into your house. It tells you the state has already checked their qualifications and has a record of them on file. The board is the one with that record, not the county or the city.
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 the temperature is set above room temperature, and check that it has power if it runs on batteries. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a furnace on a dead breaker will not start at all. Winter nights here drop to 13°F on average, so a furnace that will not fire needs a contractor out soon rather than later.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air even though the blower keeps running. Turn the system off for an hour to let any ice melt, then look at the filter and replace it if it is dirty. If the air still is not cold after that, the refrigerant charge or the coil itself needs a contractor to look at it, since low refrigerant cannot be added without finding and fixing the leak first.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the breaker panel, and the air filter before anything else. Confirm the thermostat is set to heat or cool as needed and has power. Look at the breaker for the furnace or the outdoor unit and reset it if it is tripped. Pull the filter and hold it up to the light. If you cannot see through it, replace it. If the system still is not working after these checks, a contractor will need to look at the parts inside the cabinet.