HVAC Repair in Ottawa, 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 LaSalle County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work a year, most of it in the cold
Your furnace in LaSalle County carries the load from October through May. On winter nights that average 19°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch to hold the house steady. Each start puts a load on the igniter and the flame sensor, and after enough cold nights one of them fails. The furnace tries to light, can't, and the house goes cold.
Summer is shorter here, June through August, with afternoons averaging 83°F. The condenser outside works hardest on those days, and if it's low on refrigerant or the coil is dirty, the house stops cooling right when you need it most. LaSalle County has also logged 19 winter storms and 124 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. Most furnaces and air conditioners come back on by themselves once power returns, but if yours doesn't, that's worth a call too.
- 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 LaSalle County home.
Estimates for a typical LaSalle 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.
Check whether your city requires a license.
Source: Illinois General Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to heat, not just fan, and that the temperature you want is higher than the room temperature. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and, on a gas furnace, whether the pilot or igniter is lighting at all. A furnace that will not fire is often a bad igniter or flame sensor, and with winter nights here dropping to 19°F on average, that is not something to leave for later.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice up and blow warm air even though the system is running. Check the outdoor unit too. Leaves, grass clippings or anything piled against it stops the outdoor coil from releasing heat, and the air conditioner will run without actually cooling. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the problem is likely refrigerant or the compressor, and that calls for a contractor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it has any, and the breaker for the furnace or air conditioner. Check the filter next. A dirty filter causes problems on both the heating and cooling side, and it is the one thing in the system a homeowner can actually replace. If you have a gas furnace, look at whether the pilot light or igniter is working. After that, if the system still is not doing what it should, a contractor will need to look at it directly.