HVAC Repair in Montgomery, AL
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Montgomery County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most years
Your system rests maybe a few weeks a year here. Heat from November through March, cooling from May through October, and summer afternoons that sit around 91°F push the compressor hard for six straight months. That kind of run time wears on the capacitor and the contactor, the parts that get the compressor started and keep it running, and a weak one tends to fail on the hottest afternoons, right when the unit is working hardest.
Winter is shorter here but still puts the furnace through real cycling on nights that average 38°F. Just over half of homes in the area heat with electricity, so a lot of that load falls on heat pumps and electric furnaces rather than gas. Add in wind. Montgomery County has logged 34 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and wind that strong can knock branches into a condenser or an outdoor heat pump unit, or knock out the power that runs it. Statewide, close to 1 in 5 households lost power for a full day or more in 2024, and a system that loses power sits dead until it comes back on or gets checked.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 38°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 tests and licenses HVAC contractors in this state. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it stays on record with the board no matter whose furnace or air conditioner they show up to fix.
For a repair job in Montgomery County, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. The board has tested them and keeps a record of who they are, which is not true of someone working outside that 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 a few degrees above room temperature, and check that it has power or fresh batteries. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel. A tripped breaker will shut the furnace down completely, and with winter nights here dropping to around 38°F, it will not take long to notice. If power is not the issue, the igniter or the flame sensor may have failed, and either one needs a contractor to replace.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A clogged filter blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over so the system runs but blows warm air. Check that the outdoor unit is not blocked by leaves, grass clippings or anything piled against it, since it needs open airflow to move heat outside. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the system may be low on refrigerant, and that means a call to a contractor since it takes gauges to find the leak and recharge it properly.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries, then check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker. Look at the air filter, since a dirty one is one of the most common reasons a system stops heating or cooling well, and swap it out if it is gray or clogged. If you have a furnace, check whether the pilot light or igniter is doing its job when the system calls for heat. If everything checks out and the system still is not working right, a licensed contractor will need to look at it. Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors, so ask for that license number when you call.