HVAC Repair in Seneca, SC
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Oconee County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Twelve months of work for your system in Seneca
There is no real off season here. Heat runs October through April, then cooling takes over May through September. Your system gets almost no rest, and that shows up first in the parts that start it up, the igniter on the furnace side, the capacitor on the AC side.
Winter nights average 33°F, which is not brutal cold, but it is enough that the furnace cycles on and off most of the night, all winter long. Summer afternoons average 87°F, and the compressor works hardest right when the power grid is under the most strain. Almost half of South Carolina households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and Oconee County has logged 92 damaging wind events over the past ten years. When the power drops mid-cycle and comes back, that is another hard start for a system that already runs nearly every day of the year.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 33°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace before you assume the worst. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, then check the breaker and the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If the furnace runs but the air feels cool or weak, check the filter, since a clogged one can choke off airflow enough that the burners shut down on their own. Winter nights here drop to around 33°F, so a furnace that won't stay lit needs a contractor's attention soon rather than later.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty filter or a frozen evaporator coil, both of which cut off the airflow the system needs to cool. Check the filter first and replace it if it's gray or clogged. If the outdoor unit is running but the air from your vents feels only slightly cool, or if you can see ice on the indoor coil or the copper line outside, turn the system off and let it thaw before calling a contractor. Running a frozen system can damage the compressor, which is the expensive part to replace.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries in it if it has any, and that it's set to the mode you want. Check the breaker box for a tripped breaker and the furnace or air handler for a power switch that may have been bumped off. Check the filter, since a dirty one causes problems in both winter and summer. If the outdoor condenser unit is covered in leaves or debris, clear it, since it needs airflow around it to work. If you've done all this and the system still isn't working right, a contractor will need to look at it, and telling them what you already checked helps them get to the problem faster.