HVAC Repair in Salt Lake City, UT
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 Salt Lake County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work a year wears on your system
Salt Lake County only gives your furnace and AC one free month, in between. Heat runs October through May, and the furnace lights on nights that average 22°F. Cooling takes over in June through August, with afternoons near 83°F pulling the AC into long runs. Most homes here heat with gas, so that burner and igniter carry almost all of the load for eight months straight.
That much cycling wears on the parts that start the system up, the igniter, the ignitor board, the capacitor that kicks the compressor on. The county has logged 91 winter storms and 194 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and power drops out for a share of households every year. When the power comes back, most systems restart on their own, but a furnace or AC that was already struggling may not.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $130 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Salt Lake County home.
Estimates for a typical Salt Lake County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Utah 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.
Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so the same license covers the person who shows up whether the repair is small or large. Utah tests and records these contractors through the Division of Professional Licensing before they can hold that license.
Work under $7,000 in Utah does not require a licensed contractor. A heating and cooling repair can fall on either side of that line depending on what the job turns out to be, so the amount of work involved is what decides whether a license is required here, not the fact that gas or refrigerant is involved.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat, not cool, and that the temperature is set above the room temperature. If that's fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the furnace without any other sign. Gas furnaces also need a pilot light or an igniter to work, so if you smell gas or hear the system click without lighting, turn it off and have a contractor look at it. At 22°F on a winter night, a furnace that won't start is worth calling in fast.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A clogged filter blocks airflow across the coil, and when the coil can't get enough air moving over it, the air coming out of your vents won't feel cold. Next check the outdoor unit. If the fan isn't spinning or you hear the compressor humming without air moving, that unit needs a contractor. Low refrigerant is another common cause, but that's not something you can check or add yourself. It takes a licensed contractor to find the leak and recharge the system properly.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it uses them, and the breaker panel for a tripped switch. Pull the air filter and hold it up to a light. If you can't see light through it, replace it before you do anything else, since a clogged filter can cause problems that look like bigger issues. For a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve is open and the system's switch, often on or near the unit itself, hasn't been switched off. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves or debris, clear the area around it. Past that, a contractor will need to look at the system directly to find what's wrong.