HVAC Repair in Mountain Home, 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 Elmore County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat, then two of cooling
Your furnace in Mountain Home works nearly all year. With winter nights averaging 21°F from December through February, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control. When one of those parts finally gives out, the burner won't light and the house goes cold on the coldest nights of the year.
Summer is short here, just July and August, but afternoons averaging 83°F still push the air conditioner hard in a compressed stretch of use. A system that sat idle most of the year has to work right away when that heat arrives, and a weak capacitor or a low charge shows up fast. Add in the wind and winter storms this area sees most years, and outdoor units and power supply take a hit too. When the power drops and comes back, most systems restart on their own, but a home already struggling with a worn part may not recover the same way.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 21°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 83°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 Elmore County home.
Estimates for a typical Elmore 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.
The license belongs to the contractor, not to the job. Idaho's HVAC Board tests and records the person or company, and that record stays with them across every job they take on, not just this one. It does not get reissued each time someone calls about a repair.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the work. Whoever comes out to look at your system in Elmore County should be able to show that license, because it is the same one on file with the state no matter whose house they are working in that day.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why is my heat not working?
- The most common cause is the igniter or the flame sensor, especially in a furnace that has been running steadily since fall. If the thermostat display is blank or dim, check the breaker first, since a tripped one will shut the whole system down. A thermostat set to "heat" but with the fan stuck on "on" instead of "auto" can also feel like no heat even when the furnace is fine. With winter nights here dropping to around 21°F, a furnace that will not fire needs attention the same day, not the same week.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the outdoor unit and indoor blower are both running but the air coming out is not cold, check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust chokes airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice over as a result, which makes the problem worse the longer the system runs. If the filter looks clean, the next likely cause is low refrigerant from a leak, and that is not something to keep running on, since it can damage the compressor. Since summer afternoons here average 83°F, a system that is not actually cooling needs a contractor's attention soon rather than a few more days of hoping it clears up.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Confirm it is set to heat or cool as needed, the batteries are not dead, and the fan is set to auto. Next check the breaker panel for a tripped switch, since both furnaces and air conditioners can trip a breaker without any other warning. Then look at the air filter and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes problems that look like bigger failures than they are. If the unit still will not run right after that, a licensed contractor can diagnose what the filter and breaker check cannot tell you.