HVAC Repair in Fargo, ND
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 Cass County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, three months of cooling, and not much slack between them
Your furnace is the machine doing most of the work here. It runs from September through May, and on nights that average 3°F it cycles on and off all night to keep up. Every start puts load on the igniter and the heat exchanger, and in a cold snap that cycling only gets more frequent. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all, and you find out at the worst possible time.
Summer is shorter, just June through August, with afternoons around 80°F. That is not extreme heat, but it still means three months where the air conditioner has to work on schedule, and a system that sat idle for nine months sometimes has trouble starting back up. Fargo also sees its share of hard weather, with 68 winter storms and 172 damaging wind events over the last ten years. Wind can knock out an outdoor unit's power or rattle its connections, and about 7% of North Dakota households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. Just under half of homes here heat with electricity, so when the power goes, the furnace goes with it.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 3°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
North Dakota requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
North Dakota licenses HVAC contractors through the Secretary of State. That means the state has tested the contractor and keeps a record of them, and that record covers the contractor, not any one job.
For a repair like this, that license is what stands behind the work, with one exception the state sets in dollars. Work under $4,000 does not need a licensed contractor in North Dakota. A heating and cooling repair can fall on either side of that line depending on what is wrong with the system, so whether this particular job requires a licensed contractor depends on its cost.
Sources: North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Secretary of State
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, not just at it. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. Gas furnaces also need a pilot light or igniter to work, and if that's failed, the furnace won't fire even with power getting to it. Winter nights here average 3°F, so a furnace that won't start is worth getting a contractor out for the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow, and the air conditioner can run for hours without actually cooling the house. Next check the outdoor unit. If the coil out there is covered in leaves, grass, or ice, it can't release the heat it's pulling from inside, and the system loses its ability to cool. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the problem is likely low refrigerant or a failing part inside the system, and that needs a contractor to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the breaker panel, and the air filter. These three cause a large share of no heat and no cooling calls, and all three take a minute to check yourself. Hold the filter up to a light. If you can't see light through it, replace it. If the thermostat is set correctly, the breaker hasn't tripped, and the filter is clean, the issue is inside the equipment, and a contractor will need to look at it directly and price the job from there.