HVAC Repair in Saratoga Springs, NY
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Saratoga County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, two months of cooling, not much rest in between
Your furnace in Saratoga Springs starts working in September and does not shut down until May. On winter nights that average 15°F, it runs long and often, cycling back on as soon as the house drops a degree or two. That kind of use wears on the igniter and the blower motor before anything else. When the igniter finally gives out, the burner won't light and the house goes cold.
July and August bring the other side of it, afternoons averaging 79°F that push the air conditioner hard for two months straight. Saratoga County has also seen 48 winter storms and 399 damaging wind events over the past ten years, the kind of weather that cuts power and can leave a furnace or heat pump unable to restart once it comes back on.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $190 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Saratoga County home.
Estimates for a typical Saratoga 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. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the breaker or switch for the furnace if the display is blank. If the thermostat looks fine, listen for the furnace trying to start. A furnace that clicks but won't ignite often has a dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter. One that doesn't respond at all can be tripped on its own safety switch, sometimes from a clogged filter cutting off airflow. With winter lows here dropping to around 15°F, a furnace that's short-cycling or blowing cool air needs attention fast, since the house can lose heat quickly at those temperatures.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The system is running but the air conditioner isn't doing its job of removing heat. Check the outdoor unit first. If the fan isn't spinning or the coil is caked with dirt and debris, the unit can't shed heat properly. Inside, a dirty filter or frozen evaporator coil will also cut cooling, and if you see ice on the indoor coil or refrigerant lines, shut the system off and let it thaw before doing anything else. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, but that's not something to check yourself. A warm house with cold air barely moving from the vents usually points to airflow. A warm house with strong airflow but no real cooling usually points to the refrigerant side, and that calls for a contractor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a dead battery or wrong mode causes more no-heat and no-cool calls than people expect. Next, check the filter. A filter clogged with dust restricts airflow enough to shut a furnace or air conditioner down on its own safety controls. Check the breaker panel and any switch near the furnace or outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker or a flipped service switch will stop the system cold with no other symptoms. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves, ice, or debris after a storm, clearing it can also solve the problem outright. Anything beyond that, like strange smells, water pooling near the unit, or a system that won't respond at all, is worth having a contractor look at directly.