HVAC Repair in Niles, 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 Berrien County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most of it in the cold
Your furnace is the one carrying this house. Heat runs October through May here, and on the coldest nights it's cycling on and off against a low near 21°F. Every start is a strain on the igniter and the flame sensor, and after enough winters one of them quits, usually on the coldest night you have, because that's when the furnace is working hardest.
Summer is shorter here, just June through August, with afternoons around 81°F. Your air conditioner doesn't run as long as the furnace does, but it still has to start reliably on the hot days, and a capacitor or a low refrigerant charge that's been marginal all season tends to fail right when you need the house cool. Add in the wind and winter storms this area sees, and the power blinks more than people expect. Most furnaces and air conditioners come back on their own once power is restored, but if yours doesn't restart, that's worth a call, not a guess.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 21°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $150 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Berrien County home.
Estimates for a typical Berrien 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 behind that license. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a furnace also covers a repair call like this one.
Because Michigan licenses at the contractor level, that license is what stands behind the work here. It is a record that the contractor doing the repair has met the state's requirement to hold that license, not something issued fresh for this particular job.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat, not cool, and that the temperature you want is a few degrees above the current room temperature. If that's fine, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, sometimes it gets bumped off. A lot of no-heat calls in this area also come down to the filter. A clogged filter chokes off airflow, and some furnaces will shut themselves down rather than overheat. If the furnace has a standing pilot, look for the small flame. If it has an igniter instead, you likely won't see anything and will need a contractor to check it. With winter nights here averaging 21°F, a furnace that won't start is worth getting looked at the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- This usually means the system is on but something between the air and the cold coil isn't working right. Check the filter first. A dirty filter can restrict airflow enough that the air coming out barely feels cool. Next, check outside at the condenser, the box that sits outdoors. If the fan isn't spinning or you hear it straining, that's a sign for a contractor. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is running, the system may be low on refrigerant or have ice built up on the indoor coil, both of which need a licensed contractor to diagnose. Running a system with a frozen coil for long stretches can make the problem worse, so it's worth shutting it off and calling rather than waiting it out.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it uses them, and the breaker for the furnace or air conditioner. Check the filter next. A filter that hasn't been changed in a while restricts airflow and can cause problems on both the heating and cooling side. If the outdoor condenser looks buried in leaves or debris, clear the area around it. For no-heat calls, look for a flame or listen for the igniter clicking. For no-cool calls, listen for the outdoor fan running. If you've checked these and the system still isn't working right, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong. Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, so ask for that before any work starts.