HVAC Repair in Libby, MT
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lincoln County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat, and not much warning when it fails
Your furnace in Libby works from September through June. That leaves barely two months when it gets to rest. On the nights that drop to 19°F, it runs long and often, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the blower motor.
More than half the homes here heat with electricity, and the power does not always hold. Lincoln County has logged 31 winter storms and 23 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, close to a fifth of households went at least a day without power in 2024. When the power drops on a night this cold, a furnace that was already struggling has no way to catch up, and the house cools fast.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 74°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to each job they do. The state has tested and recorded the person or business you hire. It is not reissuing that approval for every repair that comes through their door.
That license is what stands behind the work on your system. Montana does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $2,500 does not need a licensed contractor. A heating and cooling repair can land on either side of that line depending on what it turns out to need.
Source: Montana Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is set higher than the room. If that looks right, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut a furnace down with no warning. Gas furnaces will also stop if the pilot light or igniter fails, and most will flash an error code on the control board if you have one. At 19°F on a winter night here, a furnace that will not start needs attention fast, so if the basics check out, it is time to call a contractor.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A clogged filter blocks airflow across the coil and can freeze it, so warm air comes out even though the system is running. Also check that vents around the house are open and not blocked by furniture or rugs. If the filter is clean and vents are open, the problem is likely inside the system, either the refrigerant charge or the coil itself, and that calls for a contractor to look at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first. A dead thermostat battery or a setting bumped to the wrong mode causes a lot of no-heat and no-cool calls. Next, check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and check the air filter, since a filter clogged with dust can choke off airflow enough to shut a system down or freeze a coil. If your system runs on a standing pilot, confirm the pilot light is still lit. Walking through these first can save a trip, and if none of it fixes the problem, a contractor will need to diagnose it further.