HVAC Repair in Waterbury, CT
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 Waterbury will get in touch.
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Eleven months of runtime wears on the same parts
Your furnace or heat pump works October through May here, and the air conditioner takes over for June through August. That is eleven months where something in the system is running most days. On winter nights averaging 22°F, the burner or the heat pump's compressor cycles on and off for hours to keep up, and each cycle puts wear on the igniter or the contacts that start it. A part that is starting to fail shows up as a system that won't fire on the coldest nights, right when you need it most.
A lot of homes here heat with fuel oil, which means an oil burner, a nozzle, and a filter that need to stay clean to light properly. In summer, afternoons averaging 82°F push the air conditioner to run long stretches, and a system that never gets a break is more likely to trip on a dirty coil or a low charge. Connecticut households also see outages, and it's worth knowing that most furnaces and air conditioners come back on by themselves once power is restored. If yours does not, the problem is with the system, not the outage.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
Connecticut requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Licenses are issued by the Department of Consumer Protection.
Look up a contractor's license on the Department of Consumer Protection's website.Sources: Connecticut General Assembly · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace. If the display is blank, check the breaker and any switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts the furnace off. A furnace that runs but never gets warm often has a pilot or igniter problem, and one that never starts at all is usually electrical or a thermostat setting. With 41.8% of homes here heating with fuel oil, an empty oil tank is worth ruling out too. If none of that explains it, a licensed contractor can find the actual fault.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air is not cold, the problem is usually with the outdoor unit, not the indoor one. Check that the outdoor condenser is actually running and not covered in leaves or debris, since it needs airflow to work. A dirty filter can also choke the system enough that the coil freezes and stops cooling. If the outdoor unit is silent while the indoor blower runs, that points to an electrical or capacitor issue a contractor needs to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first, including the batteries and the mode setting. Then check the filter, since a clogged one causes both heating and cooling problems and is something you can fix yourself. Look at the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and for furnaces, check any door switch on the unit itself, since a loose panel will shut it down. If the outdoor unit is involved, make sure nothing is blocking it. Noting what you find, and when the problem started, gives the contractor a faster start once they arrive.