HVAC Repair in Marshalltown, 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 Marshall County will get in touch.
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Marshalltown asks a lot of your furnace and your AC
Your furnace runs from October through May here, eight months out of the year. On winter nights that average 14°F, it cycles on and off again and again to keep up. That kind of use wears on the igniter and the blower motor faster than a mild climate ever would, and when the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all.
Summer is shorter but still hard on the system. Afternoons averaging 82°F push the air conditioner to run long stretches to keep the house cool, and that load falls on the compressor and the capacitor that starts it. Add in the storms, 21 winter storms and 65 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and the power itself is part of the problem. Statewide, 15% of Iowa households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024, and a furnace or AC that loses power mid-cycle doesn't always start back up cleanly on its own.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 14°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°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 Marshall County home.
Estimates for a typical Marshall 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 tests and licenses HVAC contractors across the state. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers a furnace repair in one house and a heat pump repair in the next.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the work. It means the state has tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, no matter who they work for or which county the house sits in.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to heat and the temperature is above room level, and check the breaker or switch for the furnace if the display is blank. If power and settings are fine, the problem is likely the igniter, a flame sensor that needs cleaning, or a safety switch that has shut the system down. At 14°F on a winter night here, a furnace that will not fire needs a contractor to look at it soon rather than wait.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The air is moving but something is stopping it from carrying heat out of the house. A dirty filter is the first thing to check, since it blocks airflow across the coil and can freeze it. If the filter is clean, the coil itself may be frozen or low on refrigerant, and both of those need a contractor's tools to confirm. Running the blower with a frozen coil or a refrigerant leak will not cool the house no matter how long it runs.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a dead thermostat looks like a dead system. Check the filter next and replace it if it is gray or clogged, because restricted airflow causes both heating and cooling problems. Then check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker and, if you have a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve is open. If all of that checks out and the system still is not working, a contractor will need to diagnose the actual part that failed.