HVAC Repair in West Memphis, AR
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Crittenden County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work, most years
Your system in West Memphis only gets a couple months off. Heat runs November through March, and the AC takes over from May through September. That is ten months of the year with the furnace or the compressor doing something, and not much time in between to rest.
Winter nights averaging 34°F mean the burner cycles on and off most of the night to hold the house steady, and each start puts wear on the igniter. Summer afternoons near 90°F push the compressor hard for hours at a stretch, and that heat is what wears out a capacitor or run's a compressor into overload. Arkansas also sees its share of wind and winter storms, and when the power drops, your system needs to come back on by itself once it's restored. If it doesn't, or if the house won't heat or cool the way it should afterward, that's worth a look.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license belongs to the contractor, not to the job itself. That's the credential the state stands behind here, and it's what Crittenden County goes by too, since cities and counties in Arkansas aren't allowed to add their own HVAC licensing rule on top of it.
For a repair to your heating and cooling system, that state license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the job involves gas lines, the connection is the part that has to be right, and the contractor's license is what makes someone accountable for it.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. If the thermostat is fine, check the breaker for the furnace or air handler, since a tripped breaker will stop it cold. Gas furnaces will also shut down if the pilot or igniter fails, and on nights near freezing you will notice fast, since the house will not hold heat long once it drops that low outside.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first. A clogged filter or blocked vents will make the system run without cooling the air enough to matter, especially on a 90 degree afternoon when it is already working hard. If the filter is clean and vents are open, the coil could be frozen or low refrigerant could be the issue, and both of those need a contractor to look at. Running the system with a frozen coil for very long can damage the compressor, so it is worth turning it off and calling someone rather than waiting it out.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings first, since a wrong mode or setting causes a lot of no heat and no cool calls. Check the breaker box next, since a tripped breaker looks like a dead system but takes seconds to fix. Look at the air filter and swap it if it is dark or clogged, since restricted airflow causes both heating and cooling problems. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves or debris, clear the area around it. Past that, a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it, and Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, so ask for it if you are not already working with someone you know.