HVAC Repair in Wheeling, WV
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Ohio County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most of it in the cold
Wheeling only gets a break from heating or cooling for about a month a year. That furnace is carrying most of the load, running from October through May with winter nights averaging 24°F. On nights that cold, the burner cycles on and off again and again to keep up, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the ignition control. When one of those fails, the furnace stops firing and the house goes cold fast.
Summer asks less of the system here, just June through August, with afternoons around 82°F. But Ohio County sees real storms, six winter storms and 69 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and more than a third of West Virginia households lost power for a day or longer in 2024. A gas furnace with a standing pilot will still light without power, but most blowers and igniters need electricity to run, so when the lines go down, so does the heat until it comes back.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 24°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $200 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Ohio County home.
Estimates for a typical Ohio County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, West Virginia fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the furnace's heat exchanger is cracked, the air conditioner's compressor has failed, or repairs keep coming.
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
West Virginia licenses HVAC contractors through the Commissioner of Labor. That license is tied to the contractor, not to any single job, so it does not need to be renewed or reissued for this particular repair.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is the state's record that this contractor has met its requirements, not a mark on this one visit.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the unit before you assume the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the breaker for the furnace. If you have gas heat, make sure the switch on or near the furnace is on, since it looks like a light switch and gets bumped off during other work. Winter nights here average 24°F, so a furnace that will not fire is not something to leave for another day. If power and settings check out and it still will not run, that points to something inside the unit a contractor needs to look at.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- A system that runs but does not cool is usually not moving enough air or not moving enough heat out of the air. Check the filter first. A clogged filter chokes airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over, which makes the problem worse the longer it runs. Check that the outdoor unit is not blocked by plants or debris, since it needs airflow around it to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and you are still getting warm air on an 82°F afternoon, the system likely needs a contractor to check refrigerant charge or the compressor.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it uses them, and the breaker for the unit. Check the filter and replace it if it is dark or clogged, since a dirty filter causes problems in both heating and cooling. Look at outdoor equipment for anything blocking it, leaves, ice, or debris. If everything checks out and the system still is not working right, a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it further.