HVAC Repair in Reno, NV
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Washoe County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work a year, in a place that swings hard
Your furnace runs from October through May here, and your air conditioner picks up in July and August. That is ten months where the system cannot rest for long. Winter nights average 23°F, cold enough that the burner cycles on and off for hours to hold the house steady, and each start puts wear on the igniter. When it finally fails, the burner won't light at all and the house goes cold on a night like that.
Summer runs the other way. Afternoons average 84°F, and the compressor works through the heat to keep up. Most homes here heat with gas, which means that one system carries the bulk of eight cold months, and a cracked heat exchanger or a failed igniter shows up as a house that won't warm no matter how long the furnace runs. Washoe County has logged 232 winter storms and 343 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and when the power drops, the furnace and thermostat stop with it. Most systems start back up on their own once power returns, but if yours does not, that's worth a call.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 23°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 $160 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Washoe County home.
Estimates for a typical Washoe County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Nevada 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.
Nevada requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license comes from the Nevada State Contractors Board. It covers the contractor, not the job, so it stands behind everything that contractor does, not just the repair on your furnace or your air conditioner.
For a heating and cooling repair, that state license is the thing accountable for the work. Whoever comes to work on your system should be able to show you that license.
Sources: Nevada Legislature · Nevada State Contractors Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- The most common reasons are a dead thermostat battery, a tripped breaker, or a furnace that failed to ignite. Gas furnaces need power, a gas supply, and a working igniter or pilot to run, so a problem in any one of those stops heat completely. If the thermostat screen is blank, check the batteries first. If the furnace is dead quiet, check the breaker and any switch near the unit that looks like a light switch, since that shuts the furnace off for service. With winter nights here averaging 23°F, a furnace that won't start is worth calling in quickly.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the fan runs but the air isn't cold, the system is usually low on refrigerant or the outdoor unit isn't running at all. Central air conditioners move heat out of the house using refrigerant, and a leak in that line means the indoor coil can't pull heat from the air even though the blower keeps moving it. Check the outdoor unit while the system runs. If the fan there isn't spinning, or it's covered in ice, that points to the outdoor unit or the refrigerant charge rather than anything inside the house. A dirty filter can also choke off airflow enough that the house never cools, so check that before anything else.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat or cool as needed, the batteries are fresh, and the display is on. Next check the breaker box for a tripped switch and any power switch near the furnace or outdoor unit, since those get bumped off more often than people expect. Look at the air filter and replace it if it's visibly dirty, since a clogged filter can cause problems that look like a bigger failure. If the outdoor unit has debris around it or the vents inside the house are blocked by furniture or rugs, clear those too. If none of that brings the system back, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong and price the repair for your system.