HVAC Repair in Gainesville, FL
Homes here need heat from December through February and cooling from April through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Alachua County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work a year, then a storm knocks the power out
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months, against afternoons that average 91°F. That is most of the year spent cycling on, and the compressor and the coils take the wear from it. Come December, the system switches jobs and heats through February, on nights that average 45°F. Two months later it is back to cooling. There is not much rest in between.
That kind of year-round demand catches problems fast. A weak capacitor or a coil losing its charge shows up as a system that runs longer and cools less. And when the wind comes through, Alachua County has seen 164 damaging wind events over the past ten years, the risk is not just the unit outside. Over a third of Florida households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. Most systems restart on their own once power is back, but whatever was already wearing thin does not fix itself in the meantime.
- 3 months
- December through February, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 45°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Florida requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industry Licensing Board is the state agency behind that license. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a new installation across the county covers a repair call at your house.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that state license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is the one thing on file with the state before anyone shows up at your door.
Sources: Florida Legislature · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to power getting cut off somewhere between the thermostat and the unit. Check the thermostat first, make sure it's set to heat and the batteries are good. Then check the breaker, since a tripped breaker is one of the most common reasons heat stops overnight. With most homes here heating on electricity, a breaker or a blown fuse in the air handler is worth checking before anything else. If the breaker holds and the thermostat looks right, the igniter or a safety switch inside the unit may be the problem, and that's a job for a licensed contractor to open up and check.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can freeze over and stop cooling the air even though the system is still running. Turn the system off for an hour to let any ice melt, then look at the filter and replace it if it's dirty. If the filter is clean and the air coming out still isn't cold, the system is likely low on refrigerant or has a failing part, and that calls for a licensed contractor with gauges to find out why.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to the right mode, the temperature is actually set below or above room temperature depending on heat or cool, and the batteries aren't dead. Next check the breaker box for anything tripped, and check the filter, since a dirty filter causes more no-cool and no-heat calls than almost anything else. If the outdoor unit has a switch nearby, make sure it hasn't been bumped off. If all of that checks out and the system still isn't working, it's time to call a licensed contractor, since Florida requires HVAC work to be done under a state license.