HVAC Repair in Sierra Vista, AZ
Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Cochise County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most years
Sierra Vista gets about a month off from heating or cooling. Furnaces run November through April, with winter nights averaging 32°F, and the air conditioner takes over May through September, working against afternoons near 92°F. Half the homes here heat with gas, so that furnace is doing real work all winter, not just standing by.
That much runtime wears on both systems. The furnace's igniter and heat exchanger see months of daily cycling, and the AC's compressor works through the summer against that heat. Cochise County has logged 42 winter storms and 104 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a power interruption during one of those can leave a system stuck mid-cycle. When it comes back on, that is often when a weak part finally gives out.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $130 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Cochise County home.
Estimates for a typical Cochise 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.
The Registrar of Contractors tests contractors before granting this license, and keeps a record of who holds one. That record follows the contractor, not the job in front of you, so the same license covers a furnace repair, an air conditioner swap, or anything else on your system.
For a repair like this, that license is what stands behind the person working on your equipment. It means the state has tested this contractor and has a record of them on file, which is the protection Arizona puts in place for this kind of work.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often the igniter has failed or the flame sensor is dirty enough that the furnace shuts itself off as a safety measure. Check your thermostat is set to heat and the batteries are good, and check that the filter is not so clogged it made the furnace overheat and cut out. If the furnace runs but no warm air comes out, or it starts and stops on its own, that points to the igniter, the flame sensor, or the flue rather than anything you can fix by resetting the thermostat. With winter nights here averaging 32°F, a furnace that will not stay lit needs a contractor licensed through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors to look at it soon.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If air is coming out but it is not cold, the refrigerant charge is likely low, usually from a leak, and that is not something to top off yourself. Check the filter first. A filter clogged enough restricts airflow across the coil so much that the coil ices up, and iced coils stop cooling the air even though the fan keeps running. If the outdoor unit is not running at all, the capacitor or the contactor may have failed, both of which a contractor can test directly. With afternoons here reaching 92°F, an air conditioner that is not pulling its charge down needs attention before the coil ices over completely.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the filter. Pull it out and hold it up to a light. If you cannot see light through it, it is restricting airflow enough to cause real problems and needs to be replaced before anything else is diagnosed. Check the thermostat next. Confirm it is set to heat or cool as you intend, the display is lit, and the batteries are not dead. Look at the breaker panel too, since a tripped breaker will stop the outdoor unit or furnace cold and looks identical to a bigger failure until you check it. If all of that looks fine and the system still is not doing its job, that is the point to bring in a licensed contractor rather than keep guessing.