HVAC Repair in Frankfort, KY
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Franklin County will get in touch.
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Frankfort runs its system almost year round
Heat runs October through April here, then cooling takes over for May through September. That leaves almost no season where the system just sits idle. Parts wear on both ends of the year instead of getting a long rest.
Winter nights average 27°F, cold enough that the furnace cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every cycle depends on the igniter firing cleanly, and igniters are what tend to fail first under that kind of repeat use. Summer afternoons average 86°F, and more than half the homes here heat with electricity, which means the same electrical system carries the load in both seasons. Franklin County has also seen 51 damaging wind events and 10 winter storms over the past ten years, and nearly a quarter of Kentucky households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. When the power drops and comes back, most systems restart on their own, but a storm that knocks out power for a day can leave a house without heat or cooling until it does.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 27°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Kentucky requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Kentucky's Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues that license, and getting one means the contractor was tested and is on record with the state. The license belongs to the contractor, not the job, so the same license covers a repair in Franklin County and a repair anywhere else in the state.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. Whoever comes out to fix it should be able to show that license, since it is the state's record that this contractor met Kentucky's requirements, not just a claim they make about themselves.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- Why is my heat not working?
- The first thing to check is your thermostat, set it a few degrees above room temperature and see if the system responds. If nothing kicks on, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a furnace or heat pump that lost power will look completely dead. Gas furnaces will also shut down if the pilot light or igniter fails, and electric heat pumps can struggle once temperatures drop toward freezing. With winter nights here averaging 27°F, a heating system that quits for even a night is a real problem, so it's worth getting a contractor out rather than waiting.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air is not cold, the most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, or a refrigerant leak that has left the system without enough refrigerant to cool properly. A frozen evaporator coil will also cause this, and it usually starts with the same restricted airflow problem. Check the filter first, since that's the one thing a homeowner can safely look at, and if the outdoor unit is caked with dirt or grass clippings, clearing the area around it can help too. With summer afternoons here hitting 86°F, a system that runs constantly without cooling the house needs a contractor to check the refrigerant charge and the coil.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat or cool as needed and that the batteries aren't dead, since a blank or unresponsive thermostat stops the whole system. Next check your breaker panel and any furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit and is easy to bump off by accident. Look at the air filter too, a filter clogged with dust will choke airflow and can cause both heating and cooling problems. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves or debris, clearing it can help. Kentucky sees its share of winter storms and wind events that knock out power, and about a quarter of households here lost power for a full day or more in 2024, so if your system was fine before an outage but won't restart, checking the breaker first can save a service call. Beyond that, a licensed contractor will need to diagnose the specific problem.