HVAC Repair in Mountain Home, AR
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Baxter County will get in touch.
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Seven months of heat, five of cooling, and storms that cut the power
Your furnace runs from October through April here, and on winter nights averaging 28°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every start puts a load on the igniter and the flame sensor, and one of those parts is usually why a furnace won't light on the coldest night of the year.
Then summer flips the load the other way. Afternoons near 88°F push your air conditioner hard from May through September, and the compressor and the capacitor that starts it take the wear. Baxter County has also logged 51 damaging wind events and 13 winter storms over the past ten years, and outages come with that kind of weather. More than half the homes here heat with electricity, so when the power drops, the heat does too, and a system already worn from the swing between seasons is what has to come back on when it returns.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that qualifies them to repair a furnace or an air conditioner covers the next one too. No county or city in Arkansas can require its own HVAC license on top of that. The state's license is the one that applies, wherever in Arkansas the work is done.
For a repair job like this, that state license is what stands behind the person working on your system. It is not tied to this particular furnace or this particular repair, but to the contractor doing the work, and that holds true whether the job is in a city with its own building department or out in the county.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to power, fuel, or a safety switch that tripped. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the breaker for the furnace or air handler. If you smell gas, do not keep flipping switches, leave the house and call the gas company. Over half the homes here heat with electricity, so if your heat pump or electric furnace stopped, the breaker or a tripped high limit switch is worth checking before anything else.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If air is moving but it is not cold, the most common causes are a dirty filter, a frozen coil, or low refrigerant from a leak. A clogged filter starves the coil of airflow and it ices over, and once that happens the system can run all day without cooling anything. Turn the system off and let the coil thaw before a contractor looks at it, since running it iced up can damage the compressor. If the filter is clean and the coil is not frozen, the problem is likely refrigerant or the outdoor unit, and that needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to the right mode, the temperature is set past room temperature, and the batteries are not dead. Next check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker on the furnace, air handler, or outdoor unit. Look at the air filter and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes problems in both winter and summer. If the outdoor unit is not running, make sure nothing is blocking it and that the disconnect switch nearby is pushed in. If everything checks out and the system still is not working, it is time to call a licensed contractor.