HVAC Repair in Pittsfield, MA
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from July through July. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Berkshire County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, one month of cooling, and not much room in between
Your furnace runs September through May here. That is nine months of the year, with winter nights averaging 16°F from December through February. At that temperature the burner cycles on and off all night to keep up, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor. When one of those fails, you notice fast because there is no mild stretch to coast through. It just gets cold.
Cooling only matters in July, so the air conditioner sits idle most of the year and then has to work through summer afternoons averaging 78°F with no warm-up. A system that was not checked before that first hot stretch is more likely to trip on a low refrigerant charge or a dirty coil right when you need it. Add in the weather this area sees, 51 winter storms and 370 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and the power interruptions that come with them, and a furnace or air conditioner is being asked to start back up cold more often than in most places.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 1 months
- July through July, 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 $250 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Berkshire County home.
Estimates for a typical Berkshire County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Massachusetts 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. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, then check your breaker panel for a tripped switch. If the furnace has a standing pilot, look for the flame. If it uses an igniter, you may hear it click or hum before failing to light. A furnace that won't stay lit is often a flame sensor that needs cleaning, and one that won't start at all is often the igniter. At 16 degrees average on a winter night here, this isn't something to leave for long. A contractor can tell you which part failed once they're on site.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A clogged filter chokes off airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can freeze over and stop cooling altogether even though the blower still runs. Check the outdoor unit too. If the coil outside is caked with grass clippings or dust, it can't release heat the way it needs to, and the system runs without much effect. If the filter's clean and the outdoor coil looks clear but you're still not getting cool air, the system is likely low on refrigerant or has a failing component, and that needs a contractor's gauges to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and its batteries if it has any. A dead thermostat display can look like a dead system. Check your breaker panel for anything tripped, and check the filter, since a filter clogged with dust or pet hair can cause problems that look like bigger failures. If you have a gas furnace, check whether the pilot light or igniter is lighting at all. None of this costs you anything to look at, and telling a contractor what you found when they arrive helps them get to the actual problem faster.