Continental Heating and Cooling is proud to be committed to your total home comfort. Time after time, Continental has led the way with new and innovative technology that continually surpasses industry standards. More than anything they want you to feel confident in choosing Continental for your home, their products are designed to provide that confidence and ensure that every Continental product is beyond compare. Continental's commitment to producing quality products combined with honest, reliable service has proven to be a successful benchmark to ensuring the continued growth of the company.

Air Conditioner Repair

Continental manufactures appliances that homeowners have come to trust. Even a trustworthy appliance requires occasional maintenance or repair, however. If you’re in need of Continental appliance repair from experienced professionals, your local Appliance Helper can help.

Air conditioner does not start 
Wall plug disconnected. Push plug firmly into wall outlet. 
House fuse blown or circuit breaker tripped. Replace fuse with time delay type or reset circuit breaker. 
Plug Current Device Tripped. Press the RESET button. 
Control is OFF. Turn Control ON and set to desired setting. 

Air from unit does not feel cold enough 
Room temperature below 17C (62F). Cooling may not occur until room temperature rises above 17C (62F). 
Temperature sensing element touching cold coil, located behind air filter. Straighten tube away from coil. 
Reset to Lower temperature. 
Compressor shut-off by changing modes. Wait approximately 3 minutes and listen for compressor to restart when set in the COOL mode. 

Air conditioner cooling, but room is too warm - ice forming on cooling coil behind decorative front. 
Outdoor temperature below 18C (64F). To defrost the coil, set FAN ONLY mode. 
Thermostat set too cold for night-time cooling. To defrost the coil, set to FAN ONLY mode. Then, set temperature to a Higher setting. 

Air conditioner cooling, but room is too warm - NO ice forming on cooling coil behind decorative front. 
Dirty air filter - air restricted. Clean air filter. 
Temperature is set too High, set temperature to a Lower setting. 
Air directional louvers positioned improperly. Position louvers for better ir distribution. 
Front of units is blocked by drapes, blinds, furniture, etc. - restricts air distribution. Clear blockage in front of unit. 
Doors, windows, registers, etc. Open - cold air escapes. Close doors, windows, registers. 
Unit recently turned on in hot room. Allow additional time to remove "Stored heat" from walls, ceiling, floor and furniture. 

Air conditioner turns on and off rapidly 
Dirty air filter - air restricted. Clean air filter. 
Outside temperature extremely hot. Set FAN speed to a Higher setting to bring air past cooling coils more frequently. 

Noise when unit is cooling 
Air movement sound. This normal. If too loud, set to a slower FAN setting. 
Window vibration - poor installation. 

Water dripping INSIDE when unit is cooling. 
Improper installation. Tilt air conditioner slight to the outside to allow water drainage.

Furnace Repair

Start at the thermostat 
Begin your furnace troubleshooting at the thermostat. Ensure that the thermostat is on heat and the setpoint is above room temperature. (It is best to turn it to the highest setting possible while performing troubleshooting.) If the furnace fan is not running, place the fan in the on mode. 

Is the power on to the furnace? 
If the fan is not running, check the breaker, fuse, and/or the switch for the furnace. If the breaker was tripped, leave it off and check the furnace wiring for loose connections. Also, you should look for burn spots on the control board and replace the board if spots are found. After any necessary repairs, the breaker can be reset. 
If the breaker or fuse was not tripped, look into the inspection window of the blower compartment on the furnace. You should see a flashing green light. If there is no light (neither red or green) then the problem could be the transformer, thermostat, furnace control board, the blower motor, or it's run capacitor. 
If you have a condensate pump, ensure that it's reservoir is not full. On most units there is a float switch that will stop the furnace from running if the reservoir is full. If the reservoir is full, then check the power to the unit and replace the pump as required. 
After the blower motor is running, the fan can be placed back in the automatic mode at the thermostat. 

Does the furnace have a pilot light? 
If the furnace uses a standing pilot, ensure that it is lit and the flame is touching the tip of the thermocouple. If it is not, you can use our thermocouple replacement guide for further troubleshooting. 
If the pilot is lit but the main burners do not come on, you should feel the side of the furnace. If the side of the furnace is cool, the problem could be the thermostat, furnace control board, limit control, or the gas valve. 

Does the pilot or main burner try to ignite? 
On units that use a spark ignition, you can hear the pilot or main burner try to ignite as it will have a rapid clicking noise. 
If the inducer motor is running, does the pilot (or main burner) try to ignite? 
If it does not, the flue could be blocked, the furnace control board could be bad, or the limit control could be the problem. 
If the pilot (or main burner) tries to light but goes out, the pilot assembly or flame sensor could be dirty. Our guide will show you how to clean them. 
On furnaces that do not use a spark ignitor, does the hot surface ignitor come on? (You will see a bright glow in the burner compartment if it is trying to come on) If not, the ignitor may need replacement or the furnace control board could be bad. 

Do the main burners come on? 
Once the pilot or ignitor is on, do the main burners light? If not, ensure that you have gas supplied to the furnace. (You can do this by checking to make sure all of the manual isolation valves are on.) If you have gas, the problem could be the gas valve or furnace control board. 
If the burners come on but do not stay on for more than about 3 seconds, the flame sensor could be dirty or the furnace control board could be bad. 
On condensing furnaces, if the burners come on for longer than 5 seconds but turn off before the thermostat is satisfied, the condensate drain could be plugged. 
Most of these units have a built in trap and sediment can build up in it. This can cause the furnace to operate abnormally. 

Does the blower come on now? 
Once the burners stay lit, the blower motor should start after a delay of from one to three minutes. If the blower does not start, the problem could be it's run capacitor or the motor. 

Furnace Troubleshooting, Final Checks 
You should complete your furnace troubleshooting by observing the unit's operation through a complete heating cycle. At the end of the cycle, the fan should run for about 2-3 minutes after the burner shuts off. If the fan does not shut off after the time delay, then the fan/limit control (on older units) may be sticking and require replacement. During this time you can check the temperature rise across the furnace. Using a thermometer, check the temperature of the air coming out of the registers and compare it to the average room temperature. On the inside of the furnace, you will find a label plate that tells you the range that this the difference between the temperatures should be. (On older furnaces, it could be over 100 degrees while, on newer high efficiency units, it could be as low as 35.)