HVAC Repair in Peoria, IL
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Peoria County will get in touch.
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Peoria County asks for eight months of heat and four of cooling
Your furnace is the machine doing most of the work here. It runs from October through May, and on winter nights that average 20°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every one of those starts puts load on the igniter and the heat exchanger. When the igniter finally wears through, the furnace won't light at all, and you find out on the coldest night of the year.
Summer is shorter but not gentle. Afternoons averaging 84°F from June through September push the air conditioner to run long cycles to keep up, and that load falls hardest on the compressor and the capacitor that starts it. A weak capacitor shows up as a unit that hums but won't start, or one that trips off before the house cools down. With storms knocking out power often enough in this region, it's also worth knowing that most systems come back on their own once power is restored. If yours doesn't, that's a sign something needs a look.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 20°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $150 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Peoria County home.
Estimates for a typical Peoria 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 test or license HVAC contractors at the state level. Whether a contractor needs a local license to work on your furnace or AC depends on which city or town your address falls under. There is no state test behind the work and no state record to check instead. That decision belongs to the municipality, not the state.
On a repair like this, gas connections are the part of the job where a mistake is dangerous. Whether that gets inspected depends on the rules of the city or town where the house sits. Illinois has not set a statewide answer for that. It leaves the question to the town.
Source: Illinois General Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- The most common reason is the igniter has failed or the flame sensor is dirty enough that the furnace won't stay lit. Check your thermostat first, make sure it's set to heat and the batteries aren't dead. Next check your breaker panel and the furnace's own power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If the furnace runs but blows cold air, or won't start at all, a contractor needs to look at the igniter, the flame sensor, or the pressure switch.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check your air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air at all. Next check that your outdoor unit isn't blocked by leaves, grass clippings, or anything else sitting against it. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear but the air still isn't cold, the system is likely low on refrigerant or has a failing compressor, and that calls for a contractor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to the right mode, the temperature is actually calling for heat or cooling, and the batteries are fresh. Then check the filter and replace it if it's gray or clogged, since a blocked filter causes both heating and cooling problems. Check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and if your furnace has a switch near it that looks like a light switch, make sure it's on. If everything checks out and the system still isn't working, a contractor will need to look at it, and telling them what you already checked saves time on the visit.