HVAC Repair in The Dalles, OR
Homes here need heat from September through June and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Wasco County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat, then two months of cooling
Your furnace runs from September through June here. Winter nights average 27°F from December through February, cold enough that the burner cycles on and off most of the night to hold the house steady. Every start is a strain on the igniter, and igniters are what usually fail first.
July and August flip the load the other way. Afternoons average 80°F, and the air conditioner takes over after months of sitting idle. A system that has not run since summer can turn up a weak capacitor or a fan motor that struggles to start.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so when the power goes, the heat goes with it. Wasco County has seen 86 winter storms and 43 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and Oregon households went at least 24 hours without power at that rate in 2024. When the power comes back, the system needs to start up clean, and that is when a part already worn from the season's cycling can fail.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 27°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Oregon requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Contractors Board licenses the contractor, not the job in front of you. That means the state has tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, separate from whatever repair is happening at your house in Wasco County.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the work. If the repair comes to less than $1,000, Oregon does not require a licensed contractor for it. Above that, the license is the thing accountable for what gets done to your system.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often it is the igniter, a blown fuse on the control board, or the thermostat calling wrong. If you heat with electricity, check the breaker first, since a tripped one is the simplest fix and the most common cause of a system that will not start at all. If the breaker is fine and you smell nothing unusual, a contractor can test the igniter and control board directly, since those parts fail without warning even in a system that ran fine the day before.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A clogged filter blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air even though the blower keeps running. If the filter is clean, the problem is more likely low refrigerant or a failing part in the outdoor unit, and that needs a contractor to check with gauges. With only two months of real cooling weather here, it is worth getting this looked at early so you are not without it in July or August.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat or cool as needed and the batteries are not dead. Next check the breaker for the system, since a tripped breaker looks like a dead system but takes seconds to fix. Then pull the filter and hold it up to the light. If you cannot see light through it, replace it, since a blocked filter causes both weak heat and weak cooling. If the system still does not respond after these checks, the problem is inside the equipment and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it.