HVAC Repair in State College, PA
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 Centre County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of runtime wears on a system fast
Your furnace runs from October through May here, and your air conditioner picks up in July and August. That leaves only a couple weeks a year when neither one is working. Winter nights average 20°F, cold enough that the burner is cycling on and off most of the night to keep up, and each start puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control board. On the cooling side, summer afternoons near 80°F push the compressor and the capacitor that starts it, and a weak capacitor is a common reason an AC hums but won't turn on.
Centre County has seen 27 winter storms and 168 damaging wind events over the past ten years. 44.6% of homes here heat with electricity, so when a storm knocks out power, the furnace stops with it. Most systems come back on their own once power returns, but a system already struggling with a worn part may not recover cleanly.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 20°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Pennsylvania requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Nobody tested the contractor on how to do the work, and the state does not keep a record of what they know, only that the business exists and registered like it has to. Pennsylvania also does not let cities or townships layer their own HVAC license on top, so this registration is the whole of it wherever you are in Centre County.
For a repair on a system that burns gas and moves refrigerant, that registration is what exists here. It confirms the business is on record, not that anyone checked how the work gets done. There is no license behind the job, no trade exam behind the name on the invoice, and no local license filling the gap. That is the whole of what stands behind the work in Centre County.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and set a few degrees above room temperature, and check that it has power or fresh batteries. If the thermostat looks right, go to the furnace and check the switch on the unit itself, and the breaker for it, since both can trip without any other sign. A furnace that still will not start after that has a problem inside it, and with nights averaging 20°F here in the winter, that is worth getting looked at the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the air coming out of the vents can feel weak or barely cool at all. Next check the outdoor unit and clear away any leaves or debris sitting against it, since it needs open air around it to move heat outside. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and the house still is not cooling, the system likely needs a contractor to check the refrigerant charge or the coil.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and its batteries, the breaker for the system, and the power switch on the unit itself. Check the filter and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since a blocked filter causes both weak heat and weak cooling. Look at the vents around the house and make sure none are closed or blocked by furniture. If everything checks out and the system still is not working right, a contractor will need to look at what is going on inside it.