HVAC Repair in Leeds, ND
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Benson County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, and nights that hit 1 below zero
Your furnace in Leeds runs from September through May. On winter nights that average 1°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control board. When one of those fails, the furnace won't light at all, and on a night that cold you notice within the hour.
59.3% of homes here heat with propane, so a pressure switch or gas valve problem shows up as a furnace that runs rough or shuts down partway through the cycle. Summer asks less of the system, just July and August with afternoons near 78°F, but the same blower and ductwork that move heat all winter are moving cold air those two months. Benson County has seen 39 winter storms and 87 damaging wind events over the past ten years, the kind of weather that knocks out power and leaves a furnace waiting to restart the moment it's back.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 1°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $240 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Benson County home.
Estimates for a typical Benson County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, North Dakota 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.
North Dakota requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
North Dakota licenses HVAC contractors through the Secretary of State. The license is held by the business, not issued job by job, so it is the contractor who was tested and put on record with the state, not any single repair. Work under $4,000 does not need a licensed contractor at all, so a small repair can fall outside that requirement depending on what it costs.
A repair to a heating and cooling system is the kind of job that license requirement is meant to cover, once the cost clears that $4,000 line. Below it, the state has no record of who did the work.
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, then check the breaker for the furnace. If the breaker is fine and the thermostat is calling for heat but nothing happens, the igniter or a safety switch has likely failed, and that needs a contractor. At 1°F on a winter night here, this isn't one to leave for tomorrow.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice over so the system runs but the air coming out isn't cold. If the filter is clean and you still get warm air, the refrigerant charge or the compressor may be the problem, and that's a repair for a licensed contractor. Cooling only matters here in July and August, but when it fails, you want it fixed fast.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first. Then check the breaker or fuse for the system, and look at the air filter since a clogged one can cause both heating and cooling problems. If those are all fine and the system still isn't working, the issue is inside the equipment, and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it and price the repair for your system.