HVAC Repair in Wasilla, AK
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Matanuska-Susitna Borough will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your furnace runs every month of the year here
Wasilla does not get a break from heat. Winter nights average 12°F from December through February, and summer afternoons only reach 66°F, so the furnace is the one running the whole year, not resting for a season the way it would somewhere warmer. That means more cycles on and off, and the igniter and other parts that start it up wear from that constant use.
Most homes here heat with gas. When the power goes out, a gas furnace with a standing pilot will relight on its own, but most modern furnaces need electricity to run the blower and controls even if the burner is gas. Alaska households saw real outages last year, with 21% going at least 24 hours without power, and at 12°F a furnace that cannot restart on its own leaves a house cold fast.
- 12°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 66°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $210 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Matanuska-Susitna Borough home.
Estimates for a typical Matanuska-Susitna Borough home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Alaska 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.
Alaska requires contractors to register with the state.
Source: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat, not just fan, and that the temperature is set above room temperature. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a furnace or heat pump can trip on its own circuit. If power is getting to the unit and it still won't fire, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, and that's a repair for a licensed contractor. With winter nights here averaging 12°F, don't wait on a heat outage to sort itself out.
- 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 a blocked coil can ice up and stop cooling the air even while the system keeps running. If the filter is clean, check outside for a clear condenser unit, since leaves or grass clippings packed against it will do the same thing. If both are fine and the house still isn't cooling, the system may be low on refrigerant, which only a licensed contractor can check and recharge.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a dead thermostat battery can look like a dead system. Check your breaker panel for anything tripped. Check the air filter and replace it if it's dirty or hasn't been changed in a while, since a blocked filter causes problems that look like bigger issues than they are. If the system still isn't working after that, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong. Alaska requires HVAC contractors to be registered with the state, so ask for that registration before any work starts.