HVAC Repair in Alexandria, VA
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Alexandria will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most of it in hard weather
Your system in Alexandria works almost year round, heat from October to April, cooling from June through September. That leaves only a few weeks off. Winter nights average 29°F, cold enough that the furnace cycles on and off for hours through the night. Every start puts wear on the igniter and the heat exchanger. Summer afternoons average 86°F, and the compressor runs long stretches to keep up, which is what wears down the capacitor and the run components inside the outdoor unit.
About half of homes here heat with electricity, so when the power drops, the heat drops with it. Storms are part of why that matters. Over the last ten years the area has seen 8 winter storms and 31 damaging wind events, and statewide, 22% of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A system that was already working hard doesn't always start back up clean after an outage like that.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 29°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor as a business, not issued job by job. The same license covers this repair and the next one that contractor does anywhere in Virginia. It is issued through the state's Board for Contractors. Virginia also sets a line at $1,000. Work under that amount does not need a licensed contractor.
Because Virginia licenses the contractor, that license is what stands behind this repair. A heating and cooling repair that costs more than $1,000 falls under that licensing rule.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- 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, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. If that's fine, check the breaker box. A furnace that won't start at all often has tripped a breaker, especially after a power blip. If the breaker is fine and you have a gas furnace, check that the switch on the unit or nearby wall, the one that looks like a light switch, is on. Winter nights here average 29°F, so a furnace that's stopped working needs attention fast. If none of this gets it running, a contractor will need to look at the igniter, the flame sensor, or the inducer motor.
- 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, which stops cold air from moving through the ducts even though the unit is running. Check the outdoor unit too. If the condenser fan isn't spinning or the coil is covered in grass clippings or debris, it can't release heat the way it needs to. With summer afternoons here averaging 86°F, a system that runs constantly without cooling the house is usually low on refrigerant or has a failing part, and that's a job for a contractor to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first. A dead thermostat battery or a setting left on the wrong mode causes more no-heat and no-cool calls than people expect. Check the breaker panel next, since a tripped breaker will stop the system cold with no other symptoms. Look at the air filter and replace it if it's dirty, since restricted airflow causes problems in both summer and winter. If you have a gas furnace, check that the gas valve is open and any power switch near the unit is on. Anything involving the refrigerant, the gas line, or the electrical connections is a job for a licensed contractor, who can look at the system and price the repair for your house.