HVAC Repair in Rigby, 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 Jefferson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Rigby asks a lot of a furnace, most of the year
Your furnace works ten months out of twelve here, from September through June. On winter nights that average 11°F, it runs long and often, and the burner cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. That kind of use wears on the igniter and the burner assembly faster than a mild climate ever would. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all, and on an 11°F night that shows up fast.
Summer asks less of the system, just July and August, with afternoons near 83°F. But the switch from ten months of heating to a couple months of cooling puts a real strain on a system that barely gets a rest. Add in the wind this area sees, 144 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and outdoor units and power supply both take a hit. Idaho households lost power for a full day or more 11% of the time last year, and a furnace with no backup plan for that goes cold along with the rest of the house.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 11°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 $110 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Jefferson County home.
Estimates for a typical Jefferson 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 and records the contractor through the state's HVAC Board before they can take on work like this. That license belongs to the contractor, not the job, so the same license covers every repair they do, not just yours.
Because the license sits with the contractor, that is what stands behind this repair. Whoever works on your heating and cooling system should hold that license themselves, the same one the state issued after testing them.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before you assume the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, since a setting bumped by accident is the most common cause. If that looks right, check the breaker and any switch on the furnace itself, since a tripped breaker or a switch left off will stop it cold. Gas furnaces also have a pilot or igniter, and if that has failed the furnace will not fire even with power reaching it. At 11 degrees on a winter night here, a furnace that will not start is not something to leave for morning. If the basics check out and it still will not run, a contractor licensed by the state HVAC Board can find out which part failed.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first. A clogged filter starves the coil of air, and the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air passing through it even though the system keeps running. Next check the outdoor unit, since leaves, grass, or debris packed around it block the airflow it needs to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and the house still is not cooling, the system may be low on refrigerant or have an electrical fault, and that calls for a contractor to diagnose. Summer afternoons here average 83 degrees, so a system that runs without cooling is worth checking the same day.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Look at the mode, the set temperature, and the batteries if it is battery powered. Check the breaker panel for anything tripped, and check any power switch near the furnace or outdoor unit. Look at the air filter and replace it if it is visibly dirty, since restricted airflow causes problems that look like bigger failures. If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call the gas company before doing anything else. Once you have ruled those out, a licensed contractor can diagnose what is actually wrong, and having already checked these saves time on the visit.