HVAC Repair in Chesapeake Beach, MD
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 Calvert County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work in Chesapeake Beach
Your system in Chesapeake Beach works most of the year. Heat runs October through April, seven months. Cooling takes over June through September, four more. Eleven months out of twelve, the furnace or the AC is on.
Winter nights here average 29°F, cold enough that the burner cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every one of those starts puts a little more wear on the igniter. Summer afternoons average 85°F, and heat like that keeps the compressor running long and hard to keep the house cool. Most homes here heat with electricity, so when either system falters, you feel it fast, in a house that will not hold its temperature.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 29°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Maryland requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors issues that license, and it covers the contractor, not each job. That means the same license applies whether the work is on a furnace, a heat pump, or a condenser, and it stays with the business rather than being issued per repair.
For a repair like this one, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. The board tested and recorded that contractor before this job ever came up, and the same license would apply to the next one.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to heat and the temperature is above the room reading, then check the breaker for the furnace or air handler. If the furnace is gas, look for a light or code on the control board behind the front panel, most furnaces flash a code when the igniter or flame sensor has failed. If you hear the blower running but feel no warm air, the problem is usually in the burner or ignition system, not the fan, and that calls for a licensed contractor to open it up.
- 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 the coil can ice up as a result, which stops it from pulling heat out of the air. Next check the outdoor unit. If the fan is not spinning or the coil is covered in leaves and dirt, the system cannot get rid of the heat it is removing from the house, even though the indoor blower keeps running. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear but the house still is not cooling, the refrigerant charge or the compressor may be the issue, and that needs a licensed contractor to check with gauges.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat batteries and settings, the breaker or fuse for the system, and the air filter. A dead thermostat display or a tripped breaker can look exactly like a failed furnace or air conditioner, and a dirty filter can cause problems that look like a bigger failure. If the outdoor unit is involved, clear leaves, grass, or ice away from it so air can move through the coil. Write down anything you saw, a smell, a sound, an error code, before you call. It helps the contractor figure out what is wrong faster once they get there.