HVAC Repair in Washington, PA
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 Washington County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, three months of cooling, in Washington County
Your furnace is the workhorse here. It runs from October through May, and on winter nights that average 23°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every start puts a little more wear on the igniter and the ignitor board. Most homes here heat with gas, and when the igniter finally gives out, the burner won't light at all.
Summer is short but it still asks something of your system. Afternoons averaging 82°F for three months means the air conditioner runs hard when it does run. Add in the wind. Washington County has logged 263 damaging wind events over the past ten years, along with 10 winter storms, and either can knock out power to a system that was working fine the moment before.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 23°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 $160 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Washington County home.
Estimates for a typical Washington County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the state and nothing more. Nobody tested this contractor's HVAC knowledge to get that number, and the state keeps no trade record, only a business name and address. Washington County can't require its own HVAC license on top of this, so the state registration is the only official record that exists here.
For a heating and cooling repair, that registration doesn't speak to who is qualified to do the work. Gas connections are the dangerous part of a furnace repair, and Pennsylvania's registration says nothing about who checks that. What exists in this state is a business on file, not a tested trade credential.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is set above the room temperature, and check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will shut the furnace down with no warning at the unit. A furnace that won't light at all is often the igniter or the flame sensor, both of which wear out over years of normal use and need a contractor to replace.
- 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 air can't move past it the system runs without cooling the house. Check the thermostat is set to cool, not fan only, and check that nothing is blocking the outdoor unit, like grass, leaves or a fence panel too close to it. If the filter is clean and airflow seems normal, the coil or the refrigerant charge needs a contractor to look at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries if it has them, and the breaker box. These three cause a real share of no-heat and no-cool calls, and all three take a minute to check yourself. Check the air filter too, since a dirty filter can cause weak airflow or a system that runs constantly without reaching temperature. If those all check out and the problem is still there, a contractor will need to look at the equipment itself.