HVAC Repair in Poughkeepsie, NY
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Dutchess County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, three of cooling, not much rest between
Your furnace or boiler runs from October through May here. On winter nights averaging 20°F, it cycles on and off for hours to keep the house warm, and every start puts wear on the igniter or the pilot assembly. Many homes in the area heat with fuel oil, and a burner that won't fire on a cold morning means a cold house fast.
Summer asks less of the system, just three months, but afternoons averaging 81°F still push the compressor and coils to keep up. Then there are the storms. Ten years of records show 28 winter storms and 341 damaging wind events here, and 11% of New York households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. A furnace or AC that stops when the power drops out should come back on by itself once it returns. If it doesn't, something else is wrong.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 20°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most furnace failures come down to the igniter, the flame sensor, or a clogged filter starving the system of air. Check your thermostat first and make sure it is set to heat and the batteries are good. If the furnace runs but no warm air comes out, or it shuts off after a few minutes, that points to a part that needs a contractor to test and replace. With winter nights here averaging 20°F, a furnace that will not hold a cycle needs attention the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the system is running but the air is not cold, check the filter first. A dirty filter blocks airflow across the coil and the coil can ice over, which stops cooling even though the blower is still moving air. Also check the outdoor unit and clear any leaves, grass, or debris packed against it. If the filter is clean and the outside unit is clear, the refrigerant charge or the coil itself needs a contractor to look at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Confirm it is set to the right mode, the temperature is actually calling for heat or cooling, and the batteries are not dead. Next check the filter and swap it if it looks gray or clogged, since a blocked filter causes both heating and cooling problems. Check your breaker panel too. A tripped breaker will stop the system cold, and with 11% of New York households losing power for 24 hours or more last year, a breaker or a system that did not restart on its own after an outage is worth ruling out before you call. If everything there checks out, a contractor will need to diagnose the specific part that has failed.