Heating and Cooling in Lemay, MO

Heating and cooling in Lemay, MO is a mid-century problem. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey counts 7,256 housing units here, with a median build year of 1955, and 83 percent of them went up before 1970. Kenan Corporation reaches Lemay in about 45 minutes from our base near Spanish Lake in normal traffic. These are mostly owner-occupied houses, and the equipment in them is on its second or third generation, so the useful question is what is worth keeping.

Before the drive to Lemay: what to have ready

Give the street, the age of the furnace or condenser if you know it, and what the system did. The nameplate on the furnace door shows its model and date, and a photo of it helps. A technician then diagnoses first, explains the cause in plain language and gives a clear, upfront quote before any work starts.

Lemay is among the farther stops on our map, so we say plainly on the phone what is realistic that day. We offer same-day service when the schedule allows, and are open 24 hours.

What Lemay houses call about

Seven repairs and replacements fit the housing here.

Houses from 1940 to 1970 and the gear in them

The ACS shows 1,902 Lemay units from the 1950s and 1,465 from the 1960s, plus 910 from the 1940s and 1,777 from 1939 or earlier. Just 3 percent were built after 1990, so almost every system here was designed for an older, leakier house, and later owners added to it.

Heating is overwhelmingly gas, 79 percent of occupied homes, and about 78 percent of units are detached houses. Renters occupy only 23 percent of Lemay's occupied homes, so most repair and replacement decisions sit with the person living in the house. Cooling is the weaker side. Many ranches were built without central air, and a coil was later tied into ducts meant for heat alone. When that coil freezes or the far rooms stay warm, the cause is often airflow, not refrigerant.

Lemay is named for Francois Lemai, who ran a ferry across the Meramec River in the early 1800s, and Jefferson Barracks Park and the Mississippi bluffs sit close by. Leaves and pollen from the wooded park edges load filters and condensate drains, so a clogged drain pan is a common summer call. Our ductwork leak signs page shows what to look for, duct repair covers the fix, and the fall furnace checklist covers the first cold night.

Gas furnaces, flues and the smell of gas in Lemay

With 79 percent of occupied homes on Spire gas, a heating call here is also a combustion call. A technician looks at the burners, the flame, the flue and the heat exchanger on every furnace visit, and older units with a rusted flue or a cracked exchanger are where a repair stops making sense.

If you smell gas, leave the house first. Touch no switches, then call 911 or Spire's St. Louis line at 800-887-4173 from outside. The Mehlville Fire Protection District covers parts of Lemay, so give the dispatcher your street. After the utility clears the home, call us to look at the furnace and flue. Our gas smell guide has the steps.

Permits and landmarks near Jefferson Barracks

Lemay has no city hall, so St. Louis County's Department of Transportation and Public Works handles permits and mechanical licensing, and a permit is required to install, alter or replace a heating or AC system. Ask any contractor, including us, for the license number the county accepts, and make sure the quote says who pulls the permit.

South Broadway, Lemay Park and the Jefferson Barracks Historic District, which includes the Telephone Museum on Hancock Avenue, are the landmarks callers use. The Mehlville Fire Protection District covers parts of Lemay, and Ameren Missouri and Spire are the utilities. Our furnace replacement page covers when a new unit makes sense.