HVAC Repair in Blaine, MN
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Anoka County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, three months of cooling, and almost no rest in between
Blaine asks a furnace to run from September through May. On the coldest nights, when the temperature drops to 9°F, the burner cycles on and off for hours at a time to hold the house steady. Every one of those cycles puts a small strain on the igniter and the flame sensor, and after enough winters one of them stops working. That is when a furnace won't light at all, usually on the night you need it most.
Summer is shorter here, just June through August, with afternoons around 80°F. The air conditioner does not run as hard as it would somewhere hotter, but it still has to start and stop through those three months, and a capacitor or a contactor that has been sitting idle can fail the first week it gets real use. Anoka County also sees its share of winter storms and damaging wind, and when the power drops out, most furnaces and air conditioners come back on by themselves once it's restored. If yours does not, that is a sign something needs a look, not just a reset.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 9°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $140 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Anoka County home.
Estimates for a typical Anoka County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Minnesota 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.
Minnesota has no state license for HVAC contractors.
Minnesota keeps no state list of HVAC contractors and runs no test before someone can take on this kind of repair. There is no license to check and no registration behind the business name either. Nothing at the state level stands between you and the person doing this work.
That means the accountability for this repair does not come from a state record, because none exists. Whatever protection applies to this job comes from somewhere other than the state of Minnesota.
Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to the thermostat, the igniter, or a safety switch that shut the furnace down. Check the thermostat first. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature you want is above room temperature, and check that the batteries are not dead. If the thermostat looks right, check the filter. A filter clogged with dust can choke off airflow until the furnace overheats and shuts itself off. At 9 degrees on a winter night here, a furnace that will not fire is not something to wait out, so if the thermostat and filter check out, it is time to call for repair.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The blower can run without the air conditioner actually cooling, and a few things cause that. Check the air filter first. A dirty filter can block enough airflow that the coil inside freezes over, and once that happens the air coming out feels warm even though the system is running. Check the thermostat is set to cool, not just fan. If the outdoor unit is not running at all while the indoor blower is, or if you see ice on the refrigerant lines, that points to a problem a contractor needs to look at.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Confirm it is set correctly, the batteries are good, and the display is on. Then check the air filter and replace it if it is dark or clogged, since a blocked filter causes both heating and cooling problems. Check that your breaker for the furnace or air conditioner has not tripped. If those look fine and the system still is not working, that is a sign the problem is inside the equipment and a contractor should take a look.