HVAC Repair in Lansing, 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 Ingham County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work a year in Lansing
Your furnace runs from October through May here, and on winter nights that average 19°F, the burner is cycling on and off most of the night to keep the house warm. Every start puts a little more wear on the igniter, and a lot of the emergency calls on the coldest nights trace back to one that finally gives out.
Summer asks less of the system, just June through August, with afternoons near 80°F, but the air conditioner still has to keep up on the hotter days. Add in the weather that moves through this area, 12 winter storms and 21 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a system that was running fine can come out of an outage needing a hand to start back up.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 19°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 Ingham County home.
Estimates for a typical Ingham 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 license comes from the state's Board of Mechanical Rules. It is tested and tracked at that level, not the county. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the individual job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a furnace is what qualifies them for the repair on this page.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the work. It is the state's record that the contractor was tested before being allowed to do this kind of job.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- 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 a few degrees above room temperature, and that its batteries are not dead. Then check the breaker and the switch that looks like a light switch near the furnace, since that cuts power to it. If those are fine, look at the filter. A filter clogged with dust can choke off airflow badly enough that the furnace shuts itself down. Winter nights here average 19°F, so a furnace that will not run needs attention the same day, not the same week.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty filter cutting off airflow over the coil. When that happens the coil can ice up, and iced coil moves little to no cold air even though the blower is running. Check the filter first and replace it if it is gray or matted with dust. If the filter is clean, check the outdoor unit. It needs air moving through it, so leaves, grass clippings, or anything piled against it will hurt cooling. If both of those are clear and the house still is not cooling, the refrigerant charge or a part inside the outdoor unit likely needs a contractor to look at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it, and the breaker for the system before anything else. A surprising number of no-heat and no-cool calls come down to one of those three things. Next check the filter. A dirty filter causes problems in both winter and summer, from a furnace that will not run to an air conditioner that will not cool. If the outdoor unit is involved, make sure nothing is blocking it. If you have checked all of that and the system still is not working right, a licensed contractor can diagnose what is left. Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Board of Mechanical Rules, so ask for that license when you call.