HVAC Repair in Lewistown, MT
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 Fergus County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat a year, and nights near 14 degrees
Your furnace runs from September through June here, ten months out of twelve. On winter nights that average 14°F, it has to hold that heat for hours at a stretch, and the parts that light the burner take the wear. When the igniter or the heat exchanger gives out, you notice fast at that temperature.
Summer is short here, just July and August, but afternoons average 79°F and the air conditioner has to keep up. Fergus County has seen 28 winter storms and 147 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and either one can cut the power. Most furnaces and air conditioners come back on by themselves once it's back. If yours doesn't, that points to a problem worth having looked at.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 14°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $100 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Fergus County home.
Estimates for a typical Fergus 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.
Montana keeps a record of the contractors it licenses, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. The same license covers whatever work they take on next, here or anywhere else in the state. Montana also sets a line at $2,500. Work under that amount does not need a licensed contractor at all.
A heating and cooling repair above that line falls under the license, and the license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Below that line, Montana leaves the job to whoever the homeowner chooses to hire.
Source: Montana Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace before you assume the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and make sure a breaker hasn't tripped. If the furnace runs on gas, check that the gas valve is open and the pilot or igniter is doing its job. At 14°F on a winter night here, a furnace that won't start needs attention fast, so if the basics check out and it still won't run, that points to something inside the unit a licensed contractor needs to look at.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The first thing to check is the air filter. A clogged filter chokes off airflow, and the coil can freeze up behind it, which makes the system run without cooling anything. Check the outdoor unit too. It needs to breathe, so clear away anything piled against it, grass clippings, leaves, that kind of thing. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and you're still getting warm air, the system likely needs a contractor to check the refrigerant charge or the coil itself.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it's set to the right mode, heat or cool, and the batteries aren't dead. Next, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a system that won't turn on at all is often just that. Then check the filter. A dirty filter causes airflow problems that mimic bigger issues, whether that's short cycling in winter or weak cooling in summer. If the outdoor unit is involved, make sure nothing is blocking it. Walking through these steps first can save you a service call for something simple, but if the problem is still there after checking them, that's a sign the issue is inside the system and needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.