HVAC Repair in Rapid City, SD
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Pennington County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, three of cooling, and wind in between
Your furnace here runs September through May. On winter nights averaging 13°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every start puts load on the igniter and the heat exchanger. Most homes in Pennington County heat with gas, so when the igniter finally gives out the burner won't light at all, and the house goes cold fast at that temperature.
Summer is shorter but not gentle. Afternoons averaging 82°F push the air conditioner's compressor hard for three straight months. Between the two seasons the county has logged 167 winter storms and 420 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and that kind of weather is hard on the outdoor unit and anything exposed to it. A system here works through all twelve months of the year, which leaves little room for a part that is already failing to keep going.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 13°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 $100 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Pennington County home.
Estimates for a typical Pennington County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, South Dakota 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.
In South Dakota, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the cities and towns.
South Dakota has no state license for HVAC contractors. The rule is left to individual cities and towns, so whether the person working on your system needs a local license depends on where the house sits, not on any state exam or state record.
That means there is no state license standing behind a repair like this. What protection exists comes from whatever the city or town where you live has put in place on its own.
Source: South Dakota Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- The most common reason is the igniter or a safety switch has shut the system down before it can do something worse. Furnaces are built to stop rather than run unsafely, so a dead igniter, a clogged filter, or a tripped limit switch will all show up as no heat at all. If you hear the blower running but feel no warm air, the problem is usually in the burner or ignition system, not the fan. With winter nights here averaging 13°F, it is worth checking the thermostat batteries and the filter before anything else, since both are quick to rule out and both are common causes.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If air is moving but it is not cold, the problem is usually with the refrigerant side of the system, not the fan. A dirty filter or blocked return can also starve the system of airflow, which makes the coil freeze and stops it from cooling even though the blower runs. Check the filter first, since that is the one thing in the system you can inspect yourself. If the filter is clean and the air is still warm, the system needs a contractor to check refrigerant levels and the coil.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the filter. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow and can cause problems that look like bigger failures, from a warm house in summer to a furnace that shuts itself off in winter. Check that the thermostat has fresh batteries and is set to heat or cool as intended, and make sure any vents in the house are open and not blocked by furniture. If the outdoor unit is covered in ice, snow, or debris, clearing it can also solve the problem. Beyond that, a contractor will need to look at the system directly, since anything involving the burner, the coil, or the electrical components isn't something to take apart yourself.