HVAC Repair in Lewiston, ID
Homes here need heat from September through June and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Nez Perce County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat, two months of cooling
Your furnace is the one doing most of the work here. Heat runs September through June, and on winter nights that average 26°F it cycles on and off for hours at a time. Every start puts a little more wear on the igniter. When it finally gives out, the burner won't light at all, and you will feel it fast on a night that cold.
Summer only asks for two months of cooling, but afternoons averaging 82°F still push the air conditioner hard right when it is least used to running. A unit that sat idle most of the year is more likely to show a weak capacitor or a low charge the first week it has to work. Add in the wind, Nez Perce County has logged 37 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and it is not unusual for a system to trip off or lose power outright during a storm.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 26°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 $90 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Nez Perce County home.
Estimates for a typical Nez Perce County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Idaho 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.
Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Idaho tests HVAC contractors through the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Board before it issues a license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it travels with them from one house to the next.
For a repair on your heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person working on your equipment. The state checked this contractor before they got to your furnace or your coil, and that check does not reset for each job they take on.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace. If the display is blank, check the breaker and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that cuts power to it. If it has power but won't fire, the igniter is a common failure, and a furnace will often lock itself out after a few failed attempts to light. On nights near 26°F, a furnace that won't start needs attention fast, so if the reset doesn't hold, it's time to call for repair.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The blower runs but the air coming out isn't cold, which usually points to the refrigerant side or a coil that's iced over. Check the filter first, because a clogged one starves the coil of airflow and can cause it to freeze. If the coil has ice on it, shut the system off and let it thaw before running it again, or you risk damaging the compressor. A low refrigerant charge or a failing compressor needs a licensed contractor, since neither is something to open up yourself.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat batteries and the setting first, since a dead battery or a setting bumped to the wrong mode causes more no-heat and no-cool calls than people expect. Next, check the breaker panel and any power switch near the furnace or outdoor unit. Look at the filter and replace it if it's gray with dust, since a blocked filter can shut down heating and cooling both. If the outdoor unit lost power during a storm, give it a few minutes after power comes back, since most units restart on their own.