HVAC & Plumbing FAQ
- Customer-Centric Excellence
- Ownership & Accountability
- Integrity & Transparency
Furnace & Heating
Why does my furnace in Albuquerque, NM, keep running and not shut off?
A furnace that runs continuously without ever reaching your set temperature usually points to one of a few culprits: a clogged air filter restricting airflow, a malfunctioning thermostat sending the wrong signal, a dirty or failing flame sensor, or, in some cases, a furnace that is simply too small for your home’s heat loss on a cold Albuquerque night.
Start by checking your filter. If it’s gray and packed with dust, replace it and see if that resolves the problem. If the furnace is still running nonstop after a fresh filter, the next step is a professional diagnosis to rule out thermostat, control board, or heat exchanger issues.
My furnace keeps turning on and off every few minutes in the North Valley. What causes that?
This is called short cycling, and it’s one of the most common furnace complaints we hear from North Valley homeowners. The most frequent causes are a dirty air filter causing the system to overheat and trip the high-limit safety switch, a failing flame sensor that loses the flame signal and shuts down the burner prematurely, a cracked heat exchanger, or an oversized furnace that heats the space too quickly and kicks off before completing a proper heating cycle.
Short cycling puts extra wear on your system and can shorten its lifespan significantly. It also drives up your energy bills. It won’t fix itself, so the sooner it’s diagnosed, the better.
Is it worth repairing a 15 to 20 year old furnace in Albuquerque, NM, or should I replace it?
A good rule of thumb is the 50% rule: if a repair costs more than 50% of what a new furnace would cost, replacement is almost always the smarter investment. At 15 to 20 years, a furnace is at or past its expected lifespan.
Newer high-efficiency gas furnaces (96 to 98% AFUE) can cut your heating bills significantly compared to an older 80% unit, which is a meaningful difference over an Albuquerque winter. Other signs it’s time to replace include rising energy bills year over year, more than one repair in the past two heating seasons, uneven heating throughout the house, or a yellow or flickering burner flame (which can indicate a cracked heat exchanger and a potential carbon monoxide risk).
We’re happy to give you an honest, no-pressure assessment so you can make the right call for your situation and budget.
My furnace is blowing cold air sometimes. Is that normal in the first few minutes, or is something wrong?
In the first 60 to 90 seconds of a heating cycle, it’s normal to feel slightly cool air as the heat exchanger warms up. Most modern furnaces have a built-in blower delay: the burner ignites, the heat exchanger reaches temperature, and only then does the fan kick on. That’s not a problem.
What’s not normal is cold air throughout the entire cycle, or a furnace that consistently blows cold air on multiple calls. That typically points to a tripped high-limit switch (usually from overheating caused by a dirty filter), a failed ignitor or flame sensor, a gas valve issue, or if you have a heat pump, the system may be stuck in cooling mode. Check your filter first, then give us a call if the issue continues.
My heater works fine until it gets really cold, then the airflow feels weak. What should I check?
When heat demand spikes on a cold Albuquerque night (January lows can dip into the teens), any existing weakness in your system gets exposed. Weak airflow under peak load usually comes from a dirty filter that’s partially restricting airflow even when temperatures are mild, a blower motor starting to fail, or duct leaks that let conditioned air escape into unconditioned attic or crawl space areas.
If you have a heat pump, extremely cold weather causes the system to rely on auxiliary or emergency heat mode. If that backup heat strip is undersized or failing, you’ll feel weak, barely-warm air during the coldest stretches. Start with the filter. If that’s clean, a service call can pinpoint whether it’s a blower, duct, or auxiliary heat issue.
Why does my house smell like burning dust when the furnace turns on, and when should I worry?
A brief burning dust smell at the start of heating season, or after your furnace has sat idle for weeks, is completely normal. Dust settles on the heat exchanger and inside the ducts during the off-season, and when the furnace fires up that first time, it burns off. The smell usually clears within 20 to 30 minutes and shouldn’t return.
You should be concerned if the smell is strong, has an electrical quality (think burning plastic or rubber), persists longer than an hour, or is accompanied by soot marks around your vents. A persistent burning smell could indicate a failing blower motor, an electrical issue, or a cracked heat exchanger, which can allow combustion gases into your living space. That’s a safety issue that needs immediate attention. If it smells like something is truly burning rather than just dusty, turn the furnace off and call us right away.
Heat Pumps
Do heat pumps work well in Albuquerque, NM, winters, and would switching from a furnace actually save money?
Yes, Albuquerque’s climate is actually well-suited for heat pumps. Our winters are relatively mild by national standards, and modern cold-climate heat pumps perform efficiently well below freezing. A heat pump moves heat rather than generating it, making it two to three times more efficient than a gas furnace per unit of energy consumed.
Whether you’d save money depends on your current gas and electricity rates, your home’s insulation, and which system you choose. For many Albuquerque homeowners, a dual-fuel system, which pairs a heat pump with a gas furnace backup for the coldest nights, offers the best of both worlds: maximum efficiency for most of the winter, with gas backup on the handful of nights when temperatures really drop. We can run the numbers specific to your home and help you decide if the switch makes sense.
Comfort & Indoor Air Quality
Why are my bedrooms colder than the living room in my Rio Rancho house?
Uneven heating is one of the most common comfort complaints we hear from Rio Rancho homeowners, and it almost always comes down to airflow or insulation issues. The most likely culprits include leaky or undersized duct runs serving the bedrooms, closed or partially blocked supply and return vents, poor attic insulation (Rio Rancho’s desert climate means big temperature swings through the ceiling on cold nights), or a system that was never properly balanced after installation.
Start by confirming all vents are open and that no furniture is blocking return air grilles. If that doesn’t help, a duct inspection or a load calculation can determine whether your system is delivering the right amount of conditioned air to each part of the house. In some cases, adding a zoning system can solve the problem permanently.
Do I really need duct cleaning in Albuquerque, NM, or is it only worth it in certain situations?
Duct cleaning is genuinely worth it when there’s a real reason, not just as a reflexive routine every few years. Albuquerque’s high desert environment means more dust and particulates than many parts of the country, which can make duct cleaning beneficial in the right circumstances.
It’s a solid investment if you notice visible dust blowing from vents when the system kicks on, if allergy or respiratory symptoms seem to worsen when the HVAC is running, if musty or stale odors come from the vents, if you’ve recently completed a renovation that generated significant dust, or if it’s been 10 or more years and the ducts have never been cleaned. If none of those apply and your system is running well, routine cleaning may not be necessary. We’ll always be straightforward with you: if your ducts look fine during an inspection, we’ll tell you.
Thermostats
My thermostat screen is blank. What should I check?
A blank thermostat screen is usually a power issue rather than a failed thermostat. Here’s what to check in order:
- Batteries. If your thermostat uses AA or AAA batteries, replace them. Even relatively new batteries can cause a blank screen if they’ve drained.
- Breaker. Check your electrical panel for a tripped breaker labeled HVAC, Air Handler, or Furnace, and reset it.
- Float switch. Some thermostats lose power when a condensate drain float switch trips due to a clogged drain line. Look for a small safety switch near the base of your air handler.
- Internal fuse. The air handler or furnace may have a small automotive-style fuse on the control board. A blown fuse will cut power to the thermostat.
- Loose wiring. A low-voltage wire that has come loose at the thermostat terminal or at the furnace can kill the display.
If you’ve gone through those steps and the screen is still blank, give us a call. Thermostat repair and replacement is a quick, affordable fix.
Plumbing
How do I know if my home has Kitec plumbing, and what are the warning signs it is failing?
Kitec plumbing was installed in many homes built between approximately 1995 and 2007, including a number of Albuquerque-area properties. It consists of a flexible orange (hot water) or blue (cold water) plastic pipe with brass fittings. To identify it, look for labels on the pipe itself. Brand names include Kitec, PlumbBetter, IPEX, AmbioComfort, and XPA.
The brass fittings are the real problem. They’re prone to dezincification, meaning the zinc leaches out of the brass over time, causing fittings to weaken and crack, often without warning. Warning signs of failing Kitec include pinhole leaks at fitting connections, discolored or brownish water, reduced water pressure at fixtures, and visible corrosion, flaking, or cracking where the pipe meets the fittings.
If you suspect Kitec in your home, a plumbing inspection is strongly recommended. Full repiping is the permanent solution, and it’s an investment that increases your home’s value and eliminates the risk of a catastrophic leak.
How do I know if I have Polybutylene plumbing, and what are the warning signs that it is failing?
Polybutylene (PB) pipe was used widely in residential construction from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. If your home was built during that window, there’s a real chance it may be present. PB pipe is most commonly gray, though it also comes in blue or black. You’ll find it routed through utility areas, walls, and ceilings.
PB reacts poorly to chlorine in municipal water supplies, causing it to become brittle and flake apart from the inside out. Because the degradation is internal, there may be little visible warning before a major failure. Warning signs include unexplained water stains on ceilings or walls, slow or spontaneous leaks, low water pressure throughout the home, and visible cracking or deterioration on any exposed sections.
If your home has Polybutylene plumbing, proactive repiping with modern PEX or copper is the most reliable long-term solution. Give us a call, and we can assess exactly what you’re dealing with.
My house has an Aquatherm (hydronic coil) heating system using a water heater. Why is it not heating well, and what are the most common failures?
Aquatherm-style hydronic coil systems, where a domestic water heater supplies hot water to a coil inside an air handler, are common in Albuquerque, NM, homes, particularly those built in the 1990s and early 2000s. When these systems underperform, the most frequent causes are:
- Scale buildup inside the water heater. Albuquerque’s hard water deposits calcium and magnesium inside the tank over time, reducing the heater’s ability to maintain the high temperatures these systems need (typically 140°F or above).
- Clogged or scaled hydronic coil. The coil inside the air handler accumulates mineral scale over the years, dramatically reducing heat transfer to the air. This is often the number-one culprit in older systems that just don’t heat like they used to.
- Failed zone valve or mixing valve. A stuck or failed valve can prevent hot water from reaching the coil at all.
- Circulating pump failure. If the pump that moves hot water from the heater to the coil has seized or weakened, heat delivery drops significantly.
These systems sit at the intersection of plumbing and HVAC, so they need someone experienced with both to diagnose properly. Our team works on Aquatherm and hydronic coil systems regularly across the Albuquerque metro.
Water Heaters
My water heater is making loud popping noises. What does this mean?
Loud popping, rumbling, or banging from your water heater is one of the most common calls we get from Albuquerque homeowners, and it almost always comes down to sediment buildup. Albuquerque has notoriously hard water with high mineral content. Calcium and magnesium deposits settle at the bottom of your tank over time, and when water trapped beneath that sediment layer heats up and tries to escape, you get those alarming popping and banging sounds.
It’s not an immediate emergency in most cases, but it is a clear warning sign. Heavy sediment reduces your water heater’s efficiency (you’re literally heating through a layer of rock), can cause the bottom of the tank to overheat, and accelerates corrosion of the tank lining. A professional flush can help if caught early enough. If your water heater is 8 to 10 years old or older and already making these sounds consistently, replacement is often the more cost-effective move.
