HVAC Repair in Raleigh, NC
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Wake County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Wake County systems run almost every month of the year
Your heat runs October through April here, seven months. Your air conditioner takes over for the five months after that. Most years there is barely a break between them, so the parts that start your system are cycling on and off almost year round.
Winter nights average 32°F, cold enough that a heat pump or furnace runs for hours at a time to keep up. Summer afternoons average 88°F, and that heat pushes the compressor hard for the same stretch of hours. More than half the homes here heat with electricity, so when that system struggles, there is no separate backup quietly taking over. Wind is part of it too. Wake County has logged 308 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and the outdoor unit sits outside taking that on.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
North Carolina requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
North Carolina tests contractors before granting this license, and the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors keeps the record of who holds one. That record belongs to the contractor, not the address, so a licensed contractor in Wake County is licensed the same way anywhere else in the state.
The license covers the contractor, not the individual repair. For a job like this one, it stands behind the person doing the work rather than a sign-off on that specific repair.
Sources: North Carolina General Assembly · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat and the temperature is set above the room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. Check your breaker panel next, because a tripped breaker will cut power to the furnace or heat pump without any other warning. If power and settings are fine, listen for what the system does when you raise the temperature. A furnace that clicks but never lights points to the igniter or a flame sensor that needs cleaning. A heat pump that runs but blows cool air may be stuck in defrost or low on refrigerant, and that's a job for a contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust chokes off airflow, and the coil behind it can ice over when air can't move past it. If the filter is clean, go outside and look at the outdoor unit. Leaves, grass clippings, or anything blocking the fan will stop the unit from releasing heat, and the house won't cool no matter how long it runs. If the outdoor unit is clear and air is still not cold at the vents, the system may be low on refrigerant, and that's not something to add yourself. A contractor will need to check for a leak before recharging it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it has any, and the breaker for the system. These cause a surprising number of no-heat and no-cool calls, and each takes a minute to rule out. Next, check the air filter. If you can't remember the last time it was changed, that's likely your answer, and a clogged filter can affect both heating and cooling. Look at the vents around the house and make sure none are closed or blocked by furniture. If everything checks out and the system still isn't heating or cooling, a contractor will need to look at the equipment itself, since problems with the igniter, the compressor, or the refrigerant charge aren't something to diagnose from the thermostat.