HVAC Repair in Hartsville, SC
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Darlington County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work a year on your system
Only two months here, spring and fall, ask nothing of your furnace or your AC. From May through September your air conditioner runs against afternoons that average 90°F, and the compressor is what wears under that kind of load. When it starts to go, you notice the air isn't as cold as it used to be, or the unit runs longer to get the house where you want it.
Winter is shorter here but not gentle. Nights from December through February average 35°F, cold enough that your furnace or heat pump cycles on and off most of the night. Most homes in Darlington County heat with electricity, so a breaker problem or a bad connection can take the whole system down, not just slow it. Add in the wind. Darlington County has logged 129 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and wind like that can knock loose a duct connection or leave debris against your outdoor unit. Almost half of South Carolina households lost power for at least a day in 2024, and when the power comes back, it's worth checking that your system actually restarted the way it should.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to power, fuel, or the thermostat not calling for heat the way it should. Almost all homes here heat with electricity, so check the breaker first. If the breaker is fine, check the thermostat is set to heat and the setpoint is above room temperature. A furnace or heat pump that still will not start after that needs a contractor to look at the igniter, the sensor, or the compressor itself.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The system is running but the air coming out is not cold, which usually means either the outdoor unit or the airflow inside is the problem. Start with the filter. A clogged filter starves the coil of airflow and the air coming through the vents will feel weak or warm even though the system runs fine. If the filter is clean, check whether the outdoor unit is covered in debris or ice, both of which stop it from moving heat out of the house. When afternoons here hit 90°F, a system losing ground on airflow or refrigerant will fall behind fast, and that points to a contractor checking the coil and the refrigerant charge.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it is set to heat or cool as needed, the setpoint is past room temperature, and it has power or fresh batteries. Then check the breaker for the system, since a tripped breaker looks like a dead system but takes seconds to fix. Look at the filter next and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since that alone causes weak airflow, poor cooling, and even a furnace that shuts itself off. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves, ice, or debris, clear it. Storms are common here, with 129 damaging wind events recorded over the last ten years, so also check that nothing has blown against the outdoor unit or knocked loose a vent or wire nearby. If none of that fixes it, a contractor will need to diagnose the system directly.