HVAC Repair in Muscatine, 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 Muscatine County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work a year on your system
Your furnace runs from October through May here, and your air conditioner picks up the other three months. That is eleven months a year one system or the other is working, with almost no break between them.
Winter nights average 17°F, cold enough that the burner cycles on and off many times a day to hold the house steady. Each start puts wear on the igniter, and a worn one stops lighting the burner at all. Summer afternoons average 83°F, and the compressor runs long hours to keep up. Add in the wind, Muscatine County has seen 59 damaging wind storms over the past ten years, and 25 winter storms in that same stretch. Storms like that knock out power, and when the lights come back on, most systems restart on their own. If yours does not, that is worth a call.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 17°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 $110 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Muscatine County home.
Estimates for a typical Muscatine 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 putting them on record. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the person who shows up under it has already been checked by the state once, not just hired off the street.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the work done in your home. It covers the contractor's standing to do the job in Iowa, not the details of this particular repair.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often it comes down to the thermostat, the igniter, or the gas supply to the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature first, since that gets missed more than people admit. If the furnace is trying to start and shutting back off, that points to the igniter or a flame sensor that needs cleaning. If it will not start at all, check your breaker panel and the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. With winter nights here dropping to 17°F, a furnace that is short-cycling or not firing needs a contractor out soon rather than later.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Start with the air filter. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice over, which makes the system run without cooling anything. Check the outdoor unit too. If the condenser coil outside is covered in grass clippings or debris, it cannot release heat the way it needs to. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the problem is likely low refrigerant or a failing part inside the system, and that calls for a contractor with gauges to diagnose it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it is set to the right mode and the temperature is actually calling for heat or cooling. Check your breaker panel next, since a tripped breaker will stop a furnace or air conditioner cold with no other symptoms. Look at the air filter and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes problems that look like bigger failures. If the outdoor unit is buried in leaves or snow, clear the area around it. If none of that fixes it, a contractor will need to look at the system directly, especially if you smell gas or the unit is making a grinding or squealing sound, since those are not things to keep testing on your own.