HVAC Repair in Mobile, AL
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from April through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Mobile County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Mobile County runs your system almost year round
Cooling season here runs April through October, seven months of afternoons near 91°F. That is a long stretch for a condenser to push heat out of the house, and the compressor is the part carrying that load all season. When it strains that long, capacitors wear down and the system starts short cycling or blowing warm air.
Winter is shorter, five months, but nights still average 42°F from December through February. Most homes here heat with electricity, so a heat pump or electric furnace is cycling on those cold nights right after carrying the summer load, with little rest between. Mobile County has also logged 155 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in Alabama, about 18% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A heat pump or air handler should come back on its own once power is restored, but a system that was already worn down is the one that fails to.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 42°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°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 is the one that licenses HVAC contractors in this state. That license covers the contractor as a business, not each individual job, so it is the same license whether the work is a repair, a new install, or a service call.
For a repair to your heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is a state record on the contractor, not a sign-off on this particular repair, but it is the accountability Alabama puts in place before anyone touches your system.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and set above the room temperature, and check that its batteries are not dead. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace or air handler, since a tripped breaker will stop it cold with no warning at the unit itself. Gas furnaces will also shut down and refuse to restart if the pilot light or igniter fails, or if the flame sensor is dirty enough that it cannot detect a flame. If the furnace runs but blows cold air, a clogged filter can be enough to cause that, so check it before anything else. When none of this brings the heat back, a licensed contractor will need to look at it, and in Alabama that means someone licensed through the state Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The filter is the first thing to check. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the indoor coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air even though the system keeps running. Check the outdoor unit too. If leaves, grass clippings or a fence are blocking airflow around it, the whole system loses its ability to shed heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit has room to breathe, the system may be low on refrigerant from a leak, and that is not something you can check or fix yourself. On a 91°F afternoon a struggling system falls behind fast, so it is worth having a contractor check it before the house gets uncomfortable.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Confirm it is set to heat or cool as needed, the temperature is set past the room's current reading, and the batteries are fresh. Check the filter next and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes problems in both winter and summer. Go to the breaker panel and look for a tripped breaker, and if the system has an outdoor unit, walk out and make sure nothing is blocking it and that it is not iced over. If the system still is not working after that, you have already ruled out the easy causes, and a licensed contractor can move straight to diagnosing the rest.