What Virginia homes are up against.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31. · U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
A homeowner deciding whether a strange smell or a slow start is worth a call should know how little rest a furnace actually gets here. Homes in Virginia run heat about seven months a year, from October through April. That leaves the heat exchanger and the burner cycling on and off for most of the year, and a part that is starting to fail rarely gets a long idle stretch to fail quietly in. Small faults get exercised again within days, not months, which is why an igniter or a flame sensor that is struggling tends to show it before the season ends rather than after.
Before a new furnace or air conditioner gets sized, a contractor has to look at what is already feeding it. The ductwork, the electrical panel, the line running to where the unit sits, all of it gets checked before anything gets ordered. Half the homes in Virginia were built in 1984 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). Equipment specifications have moved since then, and a duct system or panel sized for an older unit does not automatically suit a new one. Some homes need nothing more than a straightforward swap. Others need the ducts resized or the panel upgraded before installation can start. A contractor finds out which by opening the panel and running the numbers, not by guessing from the outside.
Does your Virginia county get hit harder by storms?
2015–2024 · Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.
A county with a heavier storm record puts more strain on the equipment sitting outside your home. Wind, hail and heavy rain all reach a condenser sitting in the open, and the harder your area gets hit, the more that unit needs to be sized right and anchored well to keep running. Have a contractor check where your outdoor unit sits, how firmly it is anchored, and the condition of the unit itself.
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Licenses are issued by the Board for Contractors.
Jobs under $1,000 don't require a state license in Virginia.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation