HVAC Repair in Rawlins, WY
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Carbon County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat, and nights near 13 below freezing
Rawlins asks for heat from September through June. That leaves about two months when the furnace gets a rest, and even then summer afternoons only reach 78, mild enough that most homes here never bother with real cooling. The furnace is doing almost all the work, almost all year.
Winter nights averaging 13°F mean long, hard runs. The burner cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle depends on the igniter firing clean. Most homes here heat with gas, so that igniter and the flame sensor behind it take the wear. Wyoming sees its share of power interruptions too, and a furnace that loses power mid-cycle has to relight on its own when it comes back. If the igniter is already weak, that is often the moment it fails, and you notice because the house goes cold on the coldest night of the year.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 13°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $150 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Carbon County home.
Estimates for a typical Carbon County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Wyoming 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.
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead furnace. If that checks out, look at the air filter. A filter clogged with dust chokes airflow and can shut the furnace down as a safety measure. Next check the breaker for the furnace and, if you have a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve is open and any switch near the unit is on. With winter lows here dropping to 13°F, a furnace that will not run needs attention fast, so if these checks do not fix it, a contractor should look at the igniter, the flame sensor, or the pressure switch.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower runs but the air is not cold, the most common cause is a dirty air filter or frozen evaporator coil restricting airflow. Check the filter first and replace it if it is gray or clogged. If the outdoor unit's fan is not spinning, or you hear it humming without turning, that points to a failed capacitor or motor, and a contractor will need to check it. Low refrigerant from a leak can also cause this, but only a licensed technician can confirm and add refrigerant properly.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings first, since a wrong mode or setpoint causes more no-heat and no-cool calls than any actual equipment failure. Look at the air filter next and replace it if it is dirty, since restricted airflow causes problems in both furnaces and air conditioners. Check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, especially after a storm, and for gas furnaces confirm the gas valve is open. If the outdoor unit has a service switch, make sure it is on. With 1,556 damaging wind events recorded in Wyoming over the past ten years, a tripped breaker after a storm is worth ruling out before assuming the equipment itself has failed.