Heat pump and propane furnace repair across Blount County, AL
Blount County sits just north of Jefferson County, a mix of small towns, rural lots and newer houses near the county line. Many homes here heat with a heat pump backed up by electric strips or a propane furnace, and we work on every piece of that setup.
Blount County calls come from Oneonta, Hayden, Locust Fork, Blountsville, Cleveland and the rural roads between them. Zeltman Heating & Air repairs and replaces heat pumps, propane furnaces, electric heat strips and the thermostats that decide which one runs. We also service manufactured homes. Tell us the problem when you call; a person answers 24/7.
How Blount County homes heat: heat pump first, backup second
North of the Jefferson County line, the houses spread out. Oneonta is the county seat, and the newer houses tend to cluster near the line around Hayden and Locust Fork. Rural lots and manufactured homes fill much of the land in between. Instead of a natural gas furnace, a lot of these homes rely on a heat pump to heat and cool.
A heat pump handles most of an Alabama winter on its own. It needs help when cold snaps push into the 20s or the teens. That help comes in one of two forms. Electric heat strips in the air handler are simple and inexpensive to install, though they draw heavy power when they run for hours. A propane furnace can take over instead, which turns the setup into a dual fuel system.
Which backup makes sense depends on the house and the fuel bills. Strips suit smaller homes and milder winters. Propane suits larger homes, or owners who want strong heat when the power bill would otherwise spike. In a dual fuel home, the thermostat hands off from the heat pump to the furnace at an outdoor temperature we set with you. Getting that changeover point right matters more than most people expect.
Propane furnaces need the same safety care as natural gas units, plus a few checks of their own. The burner orifices and gas valve must be set up for propane, not left on natural gas settings. A cracked heat exchanger or blocked flue can leak carbon monoxide, so every home with a propane furnace should have working CO alarms. A tank that runs low can also starve the burners and lock the furnace out on a cold night.
Backup heat and heat pump problems we fix in Blount County
Strips that never come on
A tripped breaker, a burned element or a failed sequencer leaves a heat pump alone in a cold snap. The house falls behind slowly, then fast.
A dual fuel changeover set wrong
If the furnace takes over too early, propane use climbs. If it waits too long, the heat pump runs all night without keeping up. We set the switch point to match the house.
Propane furnaces that won't stay lit
Low tank pressure, a dirty flame sensor or the wrong orifices cause weak flames and lockouts. We check the fuel setup before blaming the furnace.
Manufactured home ducts under the floor
Belly ducts and crossover connections in manufactured homes pull loose and dump air beneath the house. The bedrooms at the ends of the home usually notice it first.
Outdoor units buried in leaves and pollen
Rural yards and wooded lots load the outdoor coil with debris, and spring pollen adds a yellow-green coat. A dirty coil cuts heating and cooling capacity alike.
Heating and cooling work we do across Blount County
Heat Pump Repair
Defrost, reversing valve and compressor problems on the main heating system.
Learn moreDual Fuel Systems
Heat pumps paired with propane furnaces, with the changeover point set for the house.
Learn moreElectric Furnace and Heat Strip Repair
Heat strips, sequencers and breakers that leave a heat pump without backup.
Learn moreMobile Home HVAC
HUD-compliant equipment and belly duct repair for manufactured homes on rural lots.
Learn moreHow we reach Blount County and plan a rural call
Blount County lies north of our base on 15th Avenue North. I-65 and Highway 75 are our two main ways up, passing Gardendale on the interstate or Pinson on the highway. Once we cross the county line, US-231 and Highway 160 link Oneonta, Hayden, Locust Fork, Blountsville and Cleveland.
Rural calls go better with a little planning. When you phone, tell us which backup the house uses and whether the propane tank was filled recently. Anything that helps a technician find the place, like a gate code or a mailbox set back from the road, saves time. We answer 24/7, and the arrival window you get already counts the miles from Birmingham.
Nearby areas we also cover
Questions from Blount County homeowners
Yes. Our Blount County calls cover Oneonta, Hayden, Locust Fork, Blountsville and Cleveland, plus the rural roads around them, across ZIP codes 35121, 35079, 35097, 35031 and 35049. For an address near the edge of that area, a quick call settles it, and someone answers at any hour.
It depends on the house and your fuel costs. Heat strips cost less to install and suit smaller homes. A propane furnace gives stronger heat on the coldest nights and keeps the electric bill down during cold snaps. We look at the house size, the ductwork and your bills before recommending either.
Common causes are a dirty flame sensor, low tank pressure, a blocked flue that trips a pressure switch, or burner orifices set for natural gas. Check that the tank has fuel first. If it does, call us, and we'll test the gas pressure, flame and safety switches before restarting it.
There is no single number for every home. The changeover depends on how well the heat pump keeps up, the insulation and current propane and electric prices. We watch how the house performs in cold weather, set the switch point with you, then adjust it if your bills say otherwise.
Yes, with equipment approved for manufactured housing, which the HUD rules require. A standard site-built furnace isn't allowed. While we're under the home, we also check the belly ducts and the crossover connection, since a loose joint there can waste much of the airflow the new unit delivers.
Heating or cooling trouble in Blount County?
Call any hour. A person answers, and we will tell you when a technician can be there.