HVAC Repair in Presque Isle, ME
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Aroostook County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat, and winters that hit 4 below
Your furnace in Presque Isle runs from September through June. That is ten months of the year the burner is lighting, shutting off, and lighting again, and on winter nights that average 4°F it runs longer and harder to keep up. That kind of steady demand wears on the igniter and the heat exchanger before their time.
Most homes here heat with fuel oil, so the oil burner, the nozzle, and the ignition system take the brunt of it. Summer asks little of a cooling system with afternoons averaging 74°F, but the furnace gets almost no rest. Add in the storms, Aroostook County has seen 179 winter storms and 161 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and it is no surprise the power goes out with them. When it does, most furnaces and boilers need that power to run the blower and the controls, so heat stops until it is back.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 4°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 74°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace before you assume the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the furnace switch and breaker. If those are fine, look at the air filter. A filter clogged with dust can choke off airflow and cause the furnace to shut down before it warms the house. Most furnaces built in the last couple decades are direct-drive, so a worn belt is not the cause. If the furnace runs but no heat comes out, or it will not turn on at all, a contractor needs to look at the igniter or the gas valve. With winter nights here averaging 4°F, this is not something to leave for long.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A dirty filter blocks airflow through the coil and can leave the house warm even though the system runs constantly. Next check the outdoor unit. If it is covered in leaves or debris, the coil cannot shed heat the way it needs to. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear but the air coming from the vents is not cold, the refrigerant charge could be low, and that is not something to test yourself. A contractor will need to check the charge and the coil directly.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the power switch and breaker for the system, and the air filter. If the filter is gray or clogged, replace it and see if that solves the problem. Also check for a tripped breaker or a furnace switch that got bumped off, since both look like a bigger failure but take seconds to fix. Many households in Maine lose power for a day or more at some point in the year, so it is also worth checking whether an outage reset something. Most water heaters and furnaces come back on by themselves once power returns, but a system that will not restart after an outage is worth a call. Beyond these checks, a contractor will need to diagnose the rest.