HVAC Repair in Moscow, ID
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Latah County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat, one long stretch of cold
Your furnace runs September through June here. That is most of the year, and on winter nights averaging 25°F it is cycling on and off most of the night to keep up. Every start puts wear on the igniter and the burner assembly, and that wear is what finally shows up as a furnace that won't light or won't stay lit.
Just over half the homes in the area heat with electricity, and Latah County has seen 251 winter storms in the past ten years. When the power goes out, an electric furnace stops cold, and 11% of households in Idaho went at least 24 hours without power last year. Summer here is mild by comparison, with afternoons around 79°F, but the same system still has to switch over and cool the house when it needs to.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Idaho licenses HVAC contractors through the state's HVAC Board. The license is held by the contractor's business, not issued job by job, so the same license covers a furnace repair, a heat pump repair, or any other HVAC work the contractor takes on.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the work in Idaho. It is not something issued for this one job. It is the same license the contractor needs for any HVAC work they take on in the state.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and set above room temperature, and check that the display is lit. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. Gas furnaces will also stop and lock out after a few failed attempts to light, so if you hear clicking followed by silence, that is likely what happened. With winter lows here averaging 25°F, a furnace that will not restart after a lockout needs a contractor before the house loses too much heat.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice over, which stops cold air from reaching the vents even though the blower is running. If the filter is clean, check the outdoor unit and clear away any leaves or debris pressed against it. If the air coming from the vents is warm and the outdoor unit is not running at all, that points to an electrical or refrigerant problem a contractor needs to look at.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first. Then check the air filter and replace it if it looks gray or clogged. Look at the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and if you have a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve is open and any switch on the unit itself is turned on. If everything checks out and the system still is not working, a contractor will need to diagnose it further, and they will price the repair once they know what is wrong.