HVAC Repair in McAlester, OK
Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Pittsburg County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work a year, in a place that loses power
Your system in McAlester runs almost year round. Heat from November through April, cooling from May through September, only one month with nothing asked of it. Winter nights averaging 32°F mean the furnace cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Summer afternoons at 91°F mean the AC runs long and hard to keep up. More than half the homes here heat with electricity, so the furnace and the wiring feeding it both take that load.
Pittsburg County has seen 9 winter storms and 61 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across Oklahoma a quarter of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A storm knocks the power out, then it comes back and asks your system to start cold, right when it is needed most. That is when a weak igniter fails to catch, a strained motor won't start, or a breaker trips and stays tripped.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Oklahoma requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Board tests HVAC contractors before issuing that license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it carries over from one repair to the next rather than being applied for fresh each time.
For a heating and cooling repair, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is issued at the state level, so the same requirement applies whether the job is in Pittsburg County or anywhere else in Oklahoma.
Source: Oklahoma State Legislature
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and set a few degrees above room temperature, and check that the display is lit at all. If the thermostat looks dead, check the breaker for the furnace or air handler, since a tripped breaker will kill the whole system. Gas furnaces also need power for the igniter and blower even though the flame runs on gas, so a power problem can look like a gas problem. If power and the thermostat check out and you still have no heat, a contractor will need to look at the igniter, the flame sensor, or the pressure switch.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust 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. Turn the system off for a few hours to let any ice melt, then replace the filter and try again. If the air still is not cold once the ice has had time to clear, the system may be low on refrigerant or have a failing part, and that needs a contractor to check with gauges.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a dead thermostat can look like a dead system. Then check the breaker panel and any switch near the furnace or air handler, since a flipped switch or tripped breaker will stop the whole system cold. Look at the air filter and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes a lot of the no-cool and weak-heat calls. If the outdoor unit is covered in leaves or debris, clear the area around it so air can move through the coil. If you have checked all of this and the system still is not working, a contractor will need to diagnose it further.