HVAC Repair in Oswego, IL
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 Kendall County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Kendall County runs your system almost all year
Your furnace or heat pump works from October through May here, and the cooling season picks up right after. Only one month sits idle. Winter nights averaging 19°F mean long, steady burner cycles night after night, and each start puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control. Summers reaching 83°F push the compressor hard on top of that.
Most homes in this area heat with gas, so a furnace that won't ignite or won't stay lit is the common winter failure. Storms are part of the picture too. Kendall County has seen 70 damaging wind events and 10 winter storms over the past decade, and statewide, 16% of households lost power for a day or more in 2024. When power drops mid-winter, a furnace with electronic ignition will not restart on its own until the power and the thermostat call for heat again.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 19°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 $160 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Kendall County home.
Estimates for a typical Kendall County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Illinois 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.
In Illinois, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the cities and towns.
Illinois does not license HVAC contractors at the state level. That job is left to cities and towns, so whether a contractor needs a local license depends on which municipality the house is in. There is no state board or state list to check here, because the state never set one up.
For a repair to a heating and cooling system, that means the license itself is not what stands behind the work in Kendall County. Whatever protection exists comes from whichever town the house sits in, since Illinois put that decision in local hands rather than its own.
Source: Illinois General Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often it is the igniter, a flame sensor that has gone dirty, or the thermostat calling wrong. Check the thermostat first. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check that the batteries are not dead. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker and the furnace switch, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit. With winter nights around here dropping to 19°F, a furnace that will not fire is not something to leave for later. A contractor can tell you fast whether it is the igniter, the sensor, or something else.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Start with the air filter. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice up so the system runs but the air coming out is not cold. Check outside too. The outdoor unit needs clear space around it, so leaves, grass clippings, or anything piled against it will cut its ability to shed heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit has room to breathe and you are still getting warm air, the system likely needs refrigerant or a part has failed, and that calls for a contractor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a wrong setting or dead batteries look exactly like a bigger problem. Next check the air filter and replace it if it is dirty. Then check the breaker box for a tripped breaker, and on a furnace, check that the switch near the unit is on. If those all check out and the system still is not heating or cooling right, the issue is inside the equipment and a contractor will need to diagnose it.