HVAC Repair in Charles Town, WV
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 Jefferson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months a year of heat or cooling, and storms on top of it
Your system runs from October through April to keep the house warm, then June through September to keep it cool. Almost the whole year, one part of it or the other is working. On winter nights that average 25°F, the furnace cycles on and off for hours to hold the temperature, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control board. When one of those fails, the burner won't light and the house goes cold.
Summer works the system from the other direction. Afternoons averaging 85°F mean the compressor runs long stretches to keep up, and the strain shows up first in a weak capacitor or a compressor that trips its overload. Jefferson County has seen 92 damaging wind events and 14 winter storms over the past ten years, and across West Virginia, more than a third of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A furnace or air conditioner that was already struggling doesn't always come back cleanly once the power does.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
West Virginia licenses HVAC contractors through the Commissioner of Labor. That means the state tested the contractor before letting them work under that license, and keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it does not get reissued each time someone hires them.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Because West Virginia licenses the contractor directly, the license itself is the accountability here.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to the thermostat, the power supply, or the igniter. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature. Check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. If the furnace has a standing pilot, look to see if it went out. Electric ignition furnaces that won't fire after a power outage sometimes just need the system reset at the thermostat or breaker. With winter nights here averaging 25°F, a furnace that won't hold heat needs attention the same day, not the same week.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air is not cold, the problem is usually a dirty filter, a frozen coil, or low refrigerant. A clogged filter starves the system of airflow, and that alone can ice up the coil and stop cooling. Check the filter first and replace it if it is gray or packed with dust. If the filter is clean and the air still is not cold, or you see ice on the indoor coil or the outdoor lines, that points to a refrigerant leak or another problem a contractor needs to diagnose.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to the right mode and the right temperature, and that the batteries are not dead if it has them. Check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since that alone can make a system look completely dead. Check the air filter and replace it if it is dirty. For a furnace with a standing pilot, check whether the pilot light is still lit. If none of that explains the problem, a licensed contractor can diagnose it. West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, so the person who comes out to look at your system should be able to show one.