HVAC Repair in Bristol, RI
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bristol County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work, most of it in the cold
Your furnace runs from October through May here, and on winter nights that average 25°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Each start is a strain on the igniter and the burner, and that is the part that tends to fail first, leaving the house cold instead of warm. Rhode Island has logged 19 winter storms over the past ten years, and 12% of households in the state went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. Most furnaces come back on by themselves once power returns, but one already running on a weak igniter may not restart the way it should.
Summer is short here, just July and August, with afternoons around 80°F. That is not much time for a struggling air conditioner to show you something is wrong before the season ends. The state has also seen 31 damaging wind events in the last decade, and wind is hard on an outdoor unit, especially the fan and the lines running to it.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $280 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Bristol County home.
Estimates for a typical Bristol County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Rhode Island 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.
Rhode Island requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Department of Labor and Training issues the license after the contractor is tested. That test and the record kept afterward apply to the contractor, not to any one job, so the same license covers this repair and every other job that contractor takes on.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the work here. Rhode Island handles this at the state level, so the same rule applies no matter which city or town the home is in.
Source: Rhode Island General Assembly
- Why is my heat not working?
- The most common cause is the thermostat, the igniter, or the flame sensor. If the thermostat screen is blank, check the batteries first. If the furnace runs but never lights, or lights and then shuts off, the igniter or flame sensor is usually the problem, and that needs a contractor to replace. At 25°F on a winter night here, it is worth checking the breaker and the furnace switch yourself before you wait on a fix.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A clogged filter blocks airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice over, which makes the air coming out feel warm even though the system is running. If the filter is clean and the vents are open, the refrigerant charge or the outdoor unit may be the issue, and that calls for a licensed contractor to check.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat or cool as needed, the batteries are good, and the screen is on. Next check the air filter and replace it if it is dirty, since a blocked filter causes both weak heat and weak cooling. Then check the breaker panel and any switch near the furnace or outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker or a flipped switch will stop the system cold. If those are fine and the system still is not working, a licensed Rhode Island HVAC contractor will need to diagnose it further.