HVAC Repair in Ellsworth, ME
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from July through July. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hancock County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, one month of cooling, and long stretches without power
Your furnace or boiler in Ellsworth runs from September through May. On winter nights that average 14°F, it's on for most of the night, cycling again and again to hold the house steady. Every one of those cycles puts a small amount of wear on the igniter and the burner. About half the homes in this county heat with fuel oil, and an oil furnace that won't fire on a cold morning is one of the more common calls this time of year.
Summer is short here, just July, with afternoons around 76°F, so the air conditioner doesn't get pushed hard the way the furnace does. But the county has seen 67 winter storms and 75 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Statewide, more than half of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. When the power drops, a furnace with electronic ignition won't restart on its own, and a heat pump or air conditioner won't run until the power is back.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 1 months
- July through July, it cools
- 14°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 76°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, since a setting bumped by accident is more common than it sounds. 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 the whole system off if it gets bumped. About half the homes around Ellsworth heat with fuel oil, so if yours does, check the tank. Running out of oil will stop the furnace cold and is an easy thing to miss until you look. If none of that explains it, especially on a night near 14 degrees, call for repair rather than wait.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow and the air conditioner will run without pulling the heat out of the house. Next look at the outdoor unit and clear away any leaves, grass clippings or debris sitting against it, since it needs open air around it to work. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear but the house still is not cooling on a warm afternoon, the refrigerant charge or a part inside the unit likely needs a contractor to look at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the filter, and the breaker or power switch for the unit. Those catch a surprising number of no-heat and no-cool calls before they start. If your home heats with fuel oil, check the tank level too, since an empty tank looks like a broken furnace from the thermostat. This area sees winter storms and damaging wind most years, so after a storm, check whether the outdoor unit lost power or took debris damage before assuming the worst. If everything checks out and the system still is not working, a contractor will need to look at it directly.