HVAC Repair in Flagstaff, AZ
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 Coconino County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most of it in the cold
Your furnace is the one doing most of the work here. Heat runs October through May, and on winter nights averaging 23°F, the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch. Almost half the homes in the county heat with gas, so it's the igniter and burner assembly taking that wear, night after night. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace stops lighting and the house goes cold fast at those temperatures.
Summer is shorter but not gentle. Three months of afternoons averaging 88°F put real hours on the compressor, and a system that sat idle most of the year can struggle to start back up under that load. Coconino County has also logged 201 winter storms and 146 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and outages follow storms like that. Most furnaces and air conditioners come back on by themselves once power returns, but a system that was already struggling before the outage won't fix itself just because the power did.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $190 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Coconino County home.
Estimates for a typical Coconino County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Arizona 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.
Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Arizona licenses HVAC contractors through the Registrar of Contractors. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a new installation across the county also covers a repair call in your home.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- 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 working batteries. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts it off for service and gets left off by accident. Gas furnaces will not run if the pilot or igniter fails, or if a safety switch has tripped. Winter nights here average 23°F, so a furnace that will not stay lit needs a contractor before the next cold night.
- 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 the coil can ice over so the air coming out feels warm instead of cold. Check that the outdoor unit is not blocked by leaves, dirt, or anything piled against it, since it needs open airflow to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and the house still is not cooling, the system is likely low on refrigerant or has an electrical fault, and that calls for a licensed contractor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and its batteries first, since a dead thermostat can look like a dead system. Check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker and check any power switch near the indoor and outdoor units. Check the air filter and replace it if it is visibly dirty. If the system still is not working after that, tell the contractor what you checked and what you saw, since that narrows down the problem before they arrive.