HVAC Repair in Howell, MI
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Livingston County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work for one furnace and one AC
In Howell, your furnace and your AC only get a month off between them. Heat runs October through May, and the AC picks up in June through August, so the system is almost never sitting idle. Winter nights average 18°F, cold enough that the burner is cycling on and off most of the night to hold the house steady. Every one of those starts puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, and that is usually where a no-heat call comes from.
Most homes here heat with gas, so that burner and igniter carry the load all winter. Come summer, the compressor takes over on afternoons averaging 80°F, and a system that already worked hard all winter gets no real rest before it starts cooling. Livingston County has also seen 88 damaging wind events and 16 winter storms over the past ten years, and statewide over a third of households lost power for a day or more in 2024. When power drops and comes back, most furnaces and AC units restart on their own, but it is one more jolt on top of a system that is already running most of the year.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 18°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $160 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Livingston County home.
Estimates for a typical Livingston County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Michigan 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.
Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Board of Mechanical Rules is the state body that tests and licenses HVAC contractors in Michigan, and it keeps the record of who holds a license and who does not. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers the person and their business rather than being issued fresh for each repair.
For a repair to a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person working on your equipment. Gas connections are the part of the job worth getting right, since a loose or bad one is what makes a heating repair dangerous, and in Michigan the license held by whoever does that work is the record the state keeps on them.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the setpoint is above room temperature, since a setting bumped by accident is an easy fix. If that checks out, look at the filter, because one packed with dust chokes off airflow and can shut the furnace down as a safety measure. A furnace that fires and then quits within a minute or two of starting usually has a bad igniter or a dirty flame sensor, and that is a job for a licensed contractor. If you hear the blower running but no heat comes out, the burners themselves may not be lighting, which is also something a contractor needs to look at directly. With winter nights here averaging 18°F, a furnace that will not hold heat is worth getting looked at right away.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the thermostat first to confirm it is set to cool and not just fan. Next, check the filter, since a clogged one starves the system of airflow and weakens cooling even when everything else works. Look at the outdoor unit too, because leaves, grass clippings or anything piled against it blocks the airflow it needs to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear but the air coming from the vents is only lukewarm, the system may be low on refrigerant or have a failing component, and that calls for a licensed contractor to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a dead battery or a setting left on the wrong mode causes more no-heat and no-cool calls than people expect. Look at the air filter next and replace it if it is gray or clogged, because restricted airflow affects both heating and cooling. Check your circuit breaker panel for a tripped breaker, especially after a storm, since Michigan sees enough winter storms and wind events that power interruptions are common here. If the system still is not working after these checks, a licensed contractor can diagnose the actual problem.