Frequently Asked Questions

Services and Scope

  • We offer repair and replacement on residential oil, natural gas, and propane furnaces, AC’s, Heat Pumps, and ductless mini-splits.  We have a regularly scheduled maintenance program and offer call in tune ups for heating and cooling seasons.  We also service and install indoor air quality add-ons such as humidifiers, de-humidifiers, filters, air purification, and UV lights.  We also install thermostats including smart thermostats that match up to the equipment installed.  We do not service or install boiler heating systems or geothermal heating/cooling systems. 

  • We service all brands of residential HVAC equipment.  We are an authorized Lennox Dealer for new equipment replacement.

  • We only do residential and are not taking on new light commercial customers at this time. 

  • We do not do new construction installations.  We also are not set up to do ductwork installations.  We can do small ductwork repair or replacement jobs for current customers on a case by case basis, but are not set up for large sheet metal ductwork repair or installation.

Service Area

  • We cover all of Buncombe County and only Fletcher in Henderson County. Including the areas of Asheville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Arden, Enka/Candler, Leicester, Woodfin, Alexander and Fairview.  At this time we do not go into Haywood, Madison, McDowell, or Transylvania Counties or into Hendersonville, Mills River, Flat Rock, Horse Shoe, etc. in Henderson County.

Schedule Service

Estimates, Pricing & Scheduling

  • Quotes for equipment replacement (furnace, AC, or heat pump, or any combination of them) are free.  Repairs require a chargeable diagnostic visit to confirm the repair needed.  A quote is then given for further repairs including labor and materials.

  • Call or submit a service request form and share what you are experiencing if a repair is needed or if they are wanting to schedule a tune-up/preventative maintenance.  Repair customers especially if no heat/no AC are worked in as quickly as our schedule allows.  Tune-Up/maintenance appointments, when there are no issues the homeowner is aware of, are scheduled but sometimes a little further out to be able to fit in emergency repair calls. 

  • We are open Monday-Friday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm.

  • We currently advise customers to look at financing options through their bank or credit union. We are working on getting financing options set up to give more options to our customers so stay tuned!

Maintenance & Warranties

  • Two visits per year, one to perform maintenance on the heating system and the other to maintenance the cooling system.  Similar to going to the doctor or getting an oil change, our technicians do a thorough inspection on the equipment to identify any potential minor issues before they become major.  They will also do light adjustments to dial in the performance and efficiency of the equipment where possible.  If the customer wants included, we can also change filters and clean the coils regularly or recommend they be done when needed for additional charge. 

  • It depends on the specific equipment, but generally start at 5 years manufacturer warranty for all parts and 10 years for compressors and heat exchangers.  Can go up to 10 years manufacturers warranty on all parts and 20+ years on furnace heat exchangers.  We offer a 1 year labor warranty for issues related to our workmanship.  This does not apply to normal wear and tear issues. 

Who We Are

  • Our parent company Asheville Oil Company has been in business locally since 1922. We are part of the community and have been for over 4 generations.  Built on over 100 years of keeping homes warm through heating oil delivery, Smoky Mountain Heating & Air has been keeping homes comfortable year-round since 2004.

General Questions

  • All heat pumps require a source of backup heat for when temperatures get cold enough that they lose efficiency, generally between 35-40 degrees outside.  This can be electric strip heat or a backup furnace like propane, oil, or natural gas, called a dual-fuel system.  The heat pump handles the moderate temperatures fine, but our mountain winters get cold enough that the backup heat is used fairly frequently.  The electric strip heat can run up a power bill very quickly.  A dual-fuel heat pump with a propane or natural gas furnace is typically the most efficient and most comfortable system for heating in our mountain climate.  For homeowners who use an oil, propane, or natural gas furnace as their only source of heat that are looking to switch to a heat pump, sometimes notice the relatively cooler air coming from a heat pump.  It still heats the space, but is not as warm as air coming out of the vents for oil, propane, or natural gas furnaces.

  • R-410A has been the standard refrigerant in home AC systems for over 15 years when it took the place of R-22.  Manufactures have transitioned to new refrigerants in new equipment that is installed at homes as R-410A equipment has been phased out due to new regulations.  R-410A is still available and we still have it for repairs.  But if looking at a new system, it will be with the new refrigerant and we are happy to discuss what that may mean for each specific customer.  But it may mean when one part of the system goes bad, the whole system may have to be changed out so all components match up to the new refrigerant.  We look at all options and advise customers on what each of those options mean so that they can make the best decision.

  • Typically for accessory rooms or other areas that do not have good coverage, we can look at installing a ductless minisplit.  These can provide precise temperature control in smaller spaces to give comfort year-round, in heating or cooling.  One thing that we like to mention is a ductless mini-split is not as simple of an installation as a plug in window AC unit.  It is a more involved installation process and requires an electrician and permit and typically a full day to mount and start up the system properly.  We only install equipment that we provide and that we can back and support with manufacturer warranties.