HVAC Repair in Columbus, MT
Homes here need heat from September through June and cooling from July through July. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Stillwater County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat a year wears on a furnace here
Your furnace in Stillwater County works September through June. On winter nights near 15°F it runs long and often, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the burner. That is most of the year spent asking the same parts to hold up.
July asks the opposite of the same system. Afternoons near 78°F are mild by most standards, but the air conditioner still has to start reliably after sitting idle most of the year. Add the wind and winter storms this county sees most years, and a furnace that loses power mid-cycle needs to come back on its own once it returns.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 1 months
- July through July, it cools
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°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 Stillwater County home.
Estimates for a typical Stillwater County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Montana 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.
Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job. The state has tested and recorded the business and the people working under it, not any single repair. Montana sets one exception. Work under $2,500 does not need a licensed contractor.
A repair to a heating and cooling system may fall on either side of that line. If the job costs less than $2,500, the state does not require the person doing it to be licensed. Above that amount, the license behind the work is what Montana has tested and put on record.
Source: Montana Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and swap the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a furnace that won't start at all often has no power reaching it. Gas furnaces also have a flame sensor and igniter that wear out over time, and when one fails the furnace will run through its startup cycle and then shut off without producing heat. With winter nights here dropping to 15°F on average, a furnace that's stopped working needs attention quickly.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Start with the air filter. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice up and stop cooling the air passing through it. Check that all your supply vents are open and unblocked by furniture or rugs. If the filter is clean and the vents are clear, the system may be low on refrigerant from a leak, and that's not something to try to fix yourself. A licensed contractor can check the refrigerant charge and find the leak.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries, and check your breaker panel for anything tripped. Look at the air filter and replace it if it's dirty, since a clogged filter causes both heating and cooling problems. For a gas furnace, check whether the pilot light or igniter is lit, and make sure the gas valve is open. If you have a heat pump or central air unit outside, look at it for ice buildup or debris blocking the coil. If these all check out and the system still isn't working right, the problem is inside the equipment and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it.