HVAC Repair in Bemidji, MN
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 Beltrami County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, and nights that drop to zero
Your furnace in Beltrami County runs September through May. On winter nights that average 0°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every start puts load on the igniter and the heat exchanger. A furnace built for milder cold can wear out fast running that hard for that long.
Summer only asks for cooling in July, so most of the work here is heating, not cooling. The area has seen 67 winter storms and 99 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. A furnace that relies on electronic ignition and a blower motor will not run without it, so when the power goes, the heat goes with it until both come back.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 1 months
- July through July, it cools
- 0°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 76°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Minnesota has no state license for HVAC contractors.
Minnesota does not require HVAC contractors to hold a state license or even register with the state before working in a home. There is no license number to check and no state exam behind the work, because the state does not run one. Nothing about who shows up at your door in Beltrami County is on file anywhere at the state level.
For this repair, that means the state itself is not the thing standing behind the work. No license or registration exists here to answer for it.
Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, since a setting bumped by accident is one of the most common reasons a furnace sits idle. Next check the power switch on or near the furnace and the breaker at your electrical panel. If those are fine, look at the filter. A filter clogged with dust can choke off airflow badly enough that the furnace shuts itself down to protect the heat exchanger. A furnace that still will not run after that needs a contractor to check the igniter, the flame sensor, or the pressure switch.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The system is moving air but something is stopping it from actually cooling that air. Check the filter first. A filter packed with dust starves the coil of airflow, and a starved coil can ice over, which makes the problem worse the longer the system runs. Check the outdoor unit too. If the fins are covered in leaves or grass clippings, the coil outside can't release heat, and the whole system loses its ability to cool. If the filter and outdoor unit are both clear and the air still isn't cold, the system may be low on refrigerant, and that needs a contractor to find and fix the leak rather than just add more.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings first, since the wrong mode or a battery running low can look exactly like a bigger problem. Check the breaker for the system and any power switch mounted near the furnace or air handler. Pull the filter and hold it up to a light. If you can't see light through it, replace it, since a blocked filter causes problems that look like a failing furnace or air conditioner. For a furnace, listen for whether it's trying to start at all or clicking without lighting. For an air conditioner, check that the outdoor unit's fan is spinning and its coil isn't buried in leaves. If the system still isn't working after that, a contractor can diagnose what the checks can't catch.