HVAC Repair in Florence, AL
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lauderdale County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Twelve months of work, most of it on electric heat
Your system in Florence works all year. Heat from October through April, cooling from May through September, with almost no break between. Winter nights average 32°F, and most homes here heat with electricity, so the heat pump or electric furnace runs hard through those months rather than cycling lightly. Summer afternoons climb to 89°F, and the compressor answers that heat for five straight months.
That kind of year-round demand catches up with parts over time. A heat pump working through winter lows near freezing leans on its reversing valve and outdoor coil more than one in a milder climate would. Alabama also sees its share of damaging wind, with 653 wind events and 9 winter storms recorded over the last ten years, and power loss is common enough that 18% of the state's households went at least a day without electricity in 2024. A hard shutoff during a storm, then a restart once power is back, is its own kind of stress on a system that already runs most of the year.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 89°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors issues this license. That means the state has tested the contractor and keeps a record of who holds it.
The license covers the contractor, not the job itself. For a repair to your heating and cooling system, the contractor doing the work, or the company they work under, should be the one holding that license. In Alabama, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to power, the thermostat, or airflow. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and a few degrees above room temperature, and check the breaker for the furnace or air handler. If you heat with electricity, like most homes here, a tripped breaker on the heat strips is a common reason the system runs but never gets warm. A dirty filter can also choke off airflow until the system shuts itself down. If those check out and you still have no heat, especially on a night near freezing, call a contractor rather than wait it out.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The system is moving air, but something is stopping it from moving heat out of the house. A dirty air filter is the most common cause. It starves the system of airflow until the coil inside freezes over, and once that happens you get warm air out of the vents even though the unit is running. Ice on the outdoor unit or the line running into the house is a sign of this. Turn the system off and let it thaw before calling for repair, since running it iced up can damage the compressor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to the right mode and the temperature is actually calling for heat or cooling. Check the breaker box for a tripped breaker, since a reset there solves more no-heat and no-cool calls than people expect. Pull the air filter and look at it. If it is gray or matted with dust, replace it before you do anything else, since a clogged filter can look like a much bigger problem. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves or debris, clear it. Once you have checked those and the problem is still there, a licensed contractor can diagnose it. In Alabama, that means someone licensed through the state Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors.