HVAC Repair in Elkton, 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 Cecil County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Elkton runs its system almost year round
Heat from October through April, cooling from June through September. That is 11 months of the year your system is doing something. On the nights that drop to 27°F, the furnace cycles on and off for hours, and every start puts wear on the igniter. On afternoons near 85°F, the compressor runs long stretches with little rest, and that load falls on the same capacitor and contactor year after year.
Cecil County has seen 175 damaging wind events and 8 winter storms in the past ten years. Wind and ice bring down power lines, and outages take the whole system offline no matter what shape it is in. About 4 in 10 homes here heat with electricity, so when the power goes, the heat goes with it.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 27°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 tests the contractor before granting it. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so the same license covers a repair in Elkton and one in North East alike.
For a repair to your heating and cooling system, that license is the thing standing behind the work. The board tested this contractor and keeps a record of them before they touched a customer's furnace or condenser. That is what the license covers, the contractor, not each job that contractor does.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- 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 if it uses batteries. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a furnace or heat pump that lost power will not run at all. Gas furnaces will also shut down if the pilot light or igniter fails, and a contractor can tell you which one is the problem. With winter nights here averaging 27°F, a furnace that will not start needs attention fast.
- 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 when air cannot move past it the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air. Also check that the outdoor unit is not blocked by leaves, grass clippings, or anything else sitting against it, since it needs open air around it to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and the house still is not cooling, the system likely needs a contractor to check refrigerant levels or the compressor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a wrong setting or dead batteries can look like a bigger problem. Check your breaker panel for anything tripped. Check that the air filter is not clogged, since restricted airflow causes problems in both heating and cooling. Look at the outdoor unit if you have one and clear away anything blocking it. If everything checks out and the system still is not working right, a licensed contractor can diagnose what the checks cannot tell you.