HVAC Repair in Tucson, AZ
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from April through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Pima County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
No season off for this system
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months of afternoons that average 99°F. That kind of heat means long compressor cycles with little break at night to recover. Capacitors and compressors wear under that load, and they tend to give out on the hottest afternoons, right when you need the system most.
Then your furnace takes over from November through March, lighting on nights that average 38°F. Between the two seasons, the system in most homes here works twelve months a year without a real rest. Pima County has also logged 277 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and outdoor units and ductwork sit exposed to that year round.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 38°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 99°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $150 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Pima County home.
Estimates for a typical Pima 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.
That license belongs to the contractor, not to the job in front of them. Arizona does not reissue it or check it off each time someone takes on a repair. It sits with the Registrar of Contractors as a record of who is licensed to do this work in the state.
For a repair on your heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is not tied to this particular job, but to the contractor taking it on.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat and the target temperature is above the room temperature, since that gets missed more often than people expect. If your furnace runs on gas, a dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter will keep it from lighting even though the blower still runs. Check the filter too, since a clogged one can trip a safety switch and shut the whole system down. If the thermostat and filter both check out and you still have no heat, the igniter or a safety switch is likely the cause, and that's a job for a licensed contractor.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If air is moving but it isn't cold, check the filter first. A clogged filter chokes airflow across the coil, and once that happens the coil can ice up and stop cooling the air at all. Low refrigerant causes the same symptom from a different cause, usually a leak, and it won't fix itself. If the filter is clean and the air still isn't cold, the system needs a contractor to check refrigerant levels and the coil.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the filter, the thermostat, and the breaker before you call anyone. A filter clogged with dust cuts airflow and can shut a system down as a safety measure. Make sure the thermostat is set to the mode you want and has power, since a dead thermostat battery looks exactly like a dead system. Check the breaker for the furnace or the outdoor unit too, since a tripped breaker looks identical to a real failure until you flip it back. If all of that checks out and the system still isn't working, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong.