HVAC Repair in Knoxville, TN
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 Knox County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Twelve months of work, no season off
Knox County asks for heat from October through April and cooling from May through September, so the system never really rests. Winter nights average 31°F, cold enough that the furnace cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and each start puts wear on the igniter. Summer afternoons average 87°F, which keeps the compressor running long hours to hold the house at temperature.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so a downed line means no heat as well as no lights. Knox County has logged 13 winter storms and 181 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024 a fifth of Tennessee households went at least 24 hours without power. Most systems restart on their own once power is back, but one already struggling with a worn part may not come back the way it should.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 31°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. Make sure it is set to heat and set above the room temperature, since a stray setting or dead batteries stop a furnace before it ever starts. If that is fine, check the filter and any air vents near the unit are open, since a blocked one can cause the furnace to shut itself off. Check your breaker panel too. A furnace that won't fire at all, or fires and then shuts off, usually needs a contractor to look at the igniter or flame sensor.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty filter choking off airflow, so check that first. If the filter is clean, look at the outdoor unit and clear away any leaves, grass, or debris packed around the coil, since it needs open airflow to release heat. Ice on the outdoor unit or the pipes going into the house points to a refrigerant problem, and that needs a contractor. If the air coming from the vents is barely cool or not moving much, that also points to something beyond a simple fix.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a wrong setting looks exactly like a broken system. Check the breaker panel for anything tripped, and check that the filter isn't clogged. For a furnace, make sure the gas is on and any shutoff switch near the unit is flipped on. If it still won't run right after that, a contractor will need to diagnose it, and telling them what you already checked saves time on the visit.