HVAC Repair in Memphis, TN
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 Shelby County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work a year on your system
In Shelby County your heat runs November through March and your cooling runs May through September. That is ten months out of the year with the system carrying the load. Summer afternoons average 90°F, so the compressor runs long stretches most days. Winter nights average 34°F, and on the coldest ones the furnace or heat strips cycle on and off all night.
More than half the homes here heat with electricity, so the same panel and wiring carry both seasons. Shelby County has seen 195 damaging wind events and 15 winter storms over the last ten years, and one in five Tennessee households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. When the power drops mid-cycle and comes back, a furnace or air handler has to start again, and that is when a weak igniter, capacitor or control board tends to fail. You will notice it as a system that will not start back up, or one that runs but never gets the house to temperature.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°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?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and set a few degrees above room temperature, and check the breaker for your furnace or air handler if you have electric heat. If the thermostat and breaker are fine, listen for the furnace trying to start. A furnace that clicks but never lights or never blows warm air usually has an igniter or flame sensor problem, and that's a job for a contractor. More than half the homes here heat with electricity, so if you have a heat pump, check that the outdoor unit isn't iced over or blocked by debris.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first and replace it if it's gray or clogged. If the filter is clean, check the outdoor unit for a coil covered in dirt, grass clippings, or leaves, since that keeps the system from shedding heat. A system that runs constantly but never cools the house can also mean low refrigerant from a leak, which won't fix itself and needs a contractor to find and seal. With summer afternoons here averaging 90°F, a system fighting through a dirty coil or filter has to work far harder and still may not keep up.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it's set to the right mode, set a few degrees off room temperature, and has fresh batteries if the screen is dim or blank. Check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker on the furnace, air handler, or outdoor unit. Look at the air filter and replace it if it's dirty, since restricted airflow causes both heating and cooling problems. If the outdoor unit is caked with leaves or grass clippings, clear the area around it. If the system still isn't working after that, a contractor will need to look at it, and noticing what it was doing before you called, short cycling, blowing cool air on heat, tripping the breaker again, will help them diagnose it faster.