HVAC Repair in Traverse City, MI
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Grand Traverse County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, a short burst of cooling, and long odds of losing power along the way
Your furnace carries most of the load here. September through May, nine months of the year, it is what stands between your house and a winter night that averages 16°F. That kind of cold means long burner cycles and a lot of starts, and each start puts wear on the igniter and the burner itself. When one of those parts finally gives out, it happens on the coldest nights, because that is when they are working hardest.
Summer asks less of the system, just July and August, with afternoons averaging 78°F. The air conditioner does not run as hard or as long, but it still needs to start reliably on the handful of days it is called on. And with a third of Michigan households losing power for a day or more last year, and this area seeing 27 winter storms and 34 damaging wind events over the past ten years, an outage is often what triggers the call. When the power comes back, most systems restart on their own. If yours does not, that is worth a look before the next cold snap or heat wave.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $180 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Grand Traverse County home.
Estimates for a typical Grand Traverse 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 tests and licenses HVAC contractors before they can work in Michigan, and the state keeps a record of who holds that license. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers a furnace repair or an air conditioning repair alike.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the repair touches the gas line to a furnace, that connection is the part worth getting right, since a poor seal there is what turns a repair into a hazard. In Michigan, that work falls under the same state license, backed by the Board of Mechanical Rules.
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 check the breaker and any switch that looks like a light switch near the furnace, since that cuts power to it. If the furnace runs on gas, look at the flame through the sight glass. No flame and a furnace that clicks and shuts off usually points to the igniter or the flame sensor, and that is a repair for a licensed contractor. With winter nights here averaging 16°F, a furnace that will not stay lit needs attention the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air even though the system keeps running. Turn the system off, let any ice melt, and put in a clean filter. If the air still is not cold once the ice is gone, the system likely needs a contractor to check the refrigerant charge, since that is not something a homeowner can test or add to.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it has them, and the breaker for the furnace or air conditioner. Check the filter and replace it if it is dark or clogged, since a blocked filter can stop a system from heating or cooling right. If the outdoor unit has snow, ice, or leaves packed around it, clear that away. If you have already checked these and the system still is not working, a licensed contractor can diagnose what is actually wrong.