HVAC Repair in Hempstead, NY
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Nassau County will get in touch.
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Hempstead runs its heat and air almost all year
Your system works for eight months of heat and four months of cooling in Hempstead, which leaves it little rest. Winter nights average 28°F from December through February, so the burner or heat pump cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Each cycle puts a small amount of wear on the igniter and the ignition control, and after enough cold nights one of them fails to light the burner at all. Come summer, afternoons average 82°F and the compressor runs long hours to keep up, which is when a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge tends to show itself.
Most homes here heat with gas, and that means a pilot or igniter has to work every time the thermostat calls for heat. Nassau County has also seen 37 winter storms and 143 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and power does go out. About 11% of New York households lost power for at least a day in 2024, and when it comes back, a furnace or air conditioner should restart on its own. If yours does not, the problem is more likely the equipment than the outage.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°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 Nassau County home.
Estimates for a typical Nassau County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New York 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.
- 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 a common cause. Check your breaker panel too, because a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. If the thermostat and breaker are fine, gas furnaces will often lock out after a failed ignition attempt, and that needs a contractor to look at the igniter or flame sensor. With winter nights here averaging 28°F, a furnace that will not start is not something to wait out.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check your air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air even though the blower is still running. Check that your outdoor unit is not blocked by leaves, grass clippings, or anything piled against it, since it needs open airflow to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the system may be low on refrigerant, which is not something you can check or add yourself. That needs a licensed contractor with the right gauges to find the leak and recharge it properly.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first. A thermostat with dead batteries or a setting left on the wrong mode causes more no-heat and no-cool calls than people expect. Check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and check that your air filter is not clogged, since a blocked filter can cause a furnace to overheat and shut off or a coil to freeze. If the system still is not running right after that, a contractor will need to look at it and price the repair for your specific system.