HVAC Repair in Elizabeth, NJ
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Union County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Elizabeth runs its system 11 months a year
Your furnace works from October through April, and on nights that average 26°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every start puts load on the igniter and the heat exchanger. When the igniter wears out, the burner won't light at all, and you notice fast because the house goes cold.
Your AC has a shorter season, June through September, but summer afternoons averaging 84°F push it hard on the days you need it most. Only one month of the year asks nothing of either system. New Jersey has seen storms knock out power to homes for a day or more, and most systems come back on by themselves once power returns. A thermostat that lost its settings, or a system that won't restart afterward, is worth a look.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 26°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $180 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Union County home.
Estimates for a typical Union County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New Jersey 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 Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license comes from the State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, and it covers the contractor, not the job in front of them. It does not reset for every repair a contractor does. Union County does not add anything on top of that. State law here does not let towns require their own HVAC license, so the board's license is the one that applies to a repair like this anywhere in the county.
On a heating and cooling repair, that state license is what stands behind the person doing the work. There is no separate county license or county inspection layered on top of it in Union County. The license itself is the record that exists here.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- Why is my heat not working?
- The most common cause is the thermostat, the igniter, or the pilot going out. If the thermostat screen is blank, check the breaker before anything else. Gas furnaces that fail to ignite usually shut down safely rather than blow cold air, so if you feel no air at all, the blower or a safety switch may be the problem. With winter nights here averaging 26°F, a furnace that will not stay lit needs a contractor out quickly.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower runs but the air is not cold, the most likely cause is low refrigerant from a leak, a frozen evaporator coil, or a failing compressor. A dirty filter can also choke off airflow enough that the house never catches up on a hot afternoon. Check the filter first, since that is the one thing worth ruling out yourself before calling anyone.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat batteries, the breaker for the system, and the air filter. A tripped breaker or a dead thermostat battery looks exactly like a broken system but takes a minute to rule out. If the filter is gray or clogged, replace it, since restricted airflow can cause a furnace or air conditioner to shut itself off. If those are fine and the system still is not heating or cooling, a contractor will need to look at it.