HVAC Repair in Las Vegas, NM
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers San Miguel County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work a year in San Miguel County
Your furnace carries the load from October through May, then the AC takes over for summer. Winter nights average 22°F, so the burner is cycling on and off most of the night to keep up. Every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the parts that get the flame going, and a system running that many months has little time to rest between seasons.
Summer afternoons average 87°F, which pushes the AC hard for its three months of work. Add in the wind. This area has logged 222 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and wind like that can knock debris into an outdoor unit or strain the electrical connection to it. Storms take out power too. Statewide, 13% of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and when power drops mid-cycle it can be hard on a system that was already working to keep up with the heat or cold outside.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $90 a year off heating and cooling for a typical San Miguel County home.
Estimates for a typical San Miguel County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New Mexico fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the furnace's heat exchanger is cracked, the air conditioner's compressor has failed, or repairs keep coming.
New Mexico requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Division tests and records the contractor before that license is issued, and the state keeps that record on file. The license covers the contractor, not each job, so the same license applies to this repair and whatever other work that contractor takes on.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the person working in your house. It means the state has tested this contractor and has a record of them, not just this one job.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. If the thermostat is fine, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts the whole system down if it gets bumped off. Gas furnaces also have a pilot or an igniter, and if the pilot went out or the igniter is failing, the furnace will run air but no heat, or not start at all. At 22°F on a winter night here, a furnace that will not fire is worth getting looked at the same day.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first since it is the one thing you can fix yourself. If the filter is clean, the coil inside the house can freeze over when airflow is restricted or refrigerant is low, and a frozen coil will blow warm air even though the system runs. Outside, the condenser unit needs clear space around it, so leaves, dirt, or anything blocking the fins will cut into how well it cools. If the air coming from the vents is warm and none of that fixes it, the system likely needs a contractor to check refrigerant levels and the compressor, since low refrigerant is not something to add yourself.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first, since the wrong mode or a battery that died will look exactly like a broken system. Check the breaker and any power switch near the indoor and outdoor units, since a tripped breaker is common after a storm and this area has seen its share, with 222 damaging wind events over the last ten years. Pull the air filter and look at it in the light. If it is gray and packed with dust, replace it, since that alone fixes a surprising number of no-cool and weak-airflow calls. If you have checked all of that and the system still is not heating or cooling right, a licensed contractor can diagnose what is actually wrong. New Mexico requires that license for a reason, since diagnosing refrigerant, gas, or electrical problems safely takes training you should not have to have.