Not sure what's wrong with your system? Start here.
Something in your house has stopped heating or cooling right, and you don't yet know if it's the air conditioner, the furnace, the ductwork, or something smaller. That's normal. Answer the questions below and you'll land on the right fix for AC, furnace, heat pump, or mini-split problems anywhere in Frederick County.
What is your system doing?
Pick the description closest to what you're hearing, seeing, or not getting. Each one opens to the parts that usually cause it and how much it can wait.
AC is running but the house is warm.
Usually a failed run capacitor, a burnt contactor, a dirty condenser coil, or refrigerant that's leaked out slowly over time.
Furnace blows cold air or won't light.
Usually a cracked hot surface ignitor, a flame sensor coated in carbon, a stuck pressure switch, or a control board that's locked itself out.
Ice on the coil or the outdoor unit.
Usually restricted airflow from a clogged filter, a low refrigerant charge, or a defrost board that's stopped cycling on a heat pump.
Weak airflow, or no air from some rooms.
Usually the blower motor or its capacitor, a blocked return, or a duct that's separated in the crawlspace.
System cycles on and off every few minutes.
Usually a tripping limit switch, a failing control board, or equipment sized wrong for the house.
Water pooling around the indoor unit.
Usually a clogged condensate drain, a cracked drain pan, or a frozen coil that thawed all at once.
Buzzing, grinding, or screeching.
Usually motor bearings going out, a loose blower wheel, or a contactor chattering at the outdoor unit.
Thermostat is blank or unresponsive.
Usually a blown low-voltage fuse, a tripped float switch, a missing C wire, or a dead transformer.
Find your system
Already know what's broken? Go straight to the page for your equipment.
Gas smell, no heat, no cooling: what to do
If the house is unsafe, the schedule isn't the thing to worry about first. If you smell gas or a CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside, then call 911 or the gas utility from a safe distance. Don't restart the furnace or reset the breaker. Once responders clear the property, call us and we'll inspect the system before anyone touches it again.
For a house with no heat or no cooling and no gas smell, the links below go straight to the right page.
Repair it, or replace it?
One rule most technicians lean on: multiply the repair price by the age of the equipment in years. Above 5,000, replacement is usually the better buy. Below it, repair makes more sense.
A $400 repair on a 9-year-old furnace comes to 3,600. Fix it. That same $400 repair on a 20-year-old system comes to 8,000. Start pricing a replacement instead.
It's a starting point, not a verdict. A cracked heat exchanger, a failed compressor, or an R-22 system can push you toward replacement regardless of what the math says, and a well-maintained 14-year-old furnace with one bad part is often still worth keeping. How replacement works →
Where we work
Frederick County is the whole service map, not one stop on a regional route. Full service area →
Questions before you call
What is the $5,000 rule for HVAC?
Multiply the repair price by the age of the equipment. Over 5,000, replacement usually makes more sense than repair. Under it, repair does. A $400 repair on a 9-year-old furnace comes to 3,600, so you fix it. That same $400 repair on a 20-year-old system comes to 8,000, and it's worth pricing a new one. It's a rule of thumb, not a verdict. A cracked heat exchanger or a safety issue can override it either way.
How long should an HVAC system last?
In this climate, expect 12 to 15 years from a central air conditioner, 10 to 15 from a heat pump because it runs all year, and 15 to 25 from a gas furnace. Annual maintenance tends to push a system toward the top of its range. Skipped filter changes push it toward the bottom.
My AC is frozen solid. What should I do before someone gets there?
Switch the system to off and set the fan to on. That thaws the coil, usually in two to four hours, and lets a technician read accurate pressures once they arrive. Check the filter while you wait. A clogged filter causes a good share of frozen coils.
What should I do if I smell gas or the CO alarm sounds?
Get everyone outside, then call 911 or the gas utility from a safe distance. Don't restart the furnace or reset the breaker. Once responders clear the property, call us and we'll inspect the system.
Tell us what it's doing. We'll help you figure out what's next.
Air conditioner, furnace, heat pump, or mini-split, the page above should point you toward the right fix. If you'd rather talk it through, call or send a request and describe what the system is doing.