Furnace Repair in Newcastle, WY
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Weston County will get in touch.
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Newcastle asks a lot of a furnace, nine months a year
Your furnace runs from September through May here. That is nine months of the year, and on winter nights it is working against an average low of 12°F. It cycles on and off all night long to hold the house at temperature, and every one of those starts puts wear on the igniter and the parts that get the burner lit.
Weston County has seen 60 winter storms and 102 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Wind that strong can push a furnace's vent or disrupt airflow to the burner, and either one can shut a furnace down or keep it from lighting at all. Add in the chance of losing power, and a furnace that depends on its igniter and blower motor won't run until both the power and the repair are sorted out.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 12°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 60 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $140 a year off heating for a typical Weston County home.
Estimates for a typical Weston County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Wyoming fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed and the heat exchanger is sound.
Replacement makes sense when the heat exchanger is cracked or the furnace keeps needing parts.
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, and make sure it has power or fresh batteries if it takes them. If the thermostat looks fine, check the furnace switch, usually near the unit and shaped like a light switch, and check the breaker for the furnace at your electrical panel. Furnaces with a standing pilot need that pilot lit, and furnaces with electronic ignition need power to start the ignition sequence, so a tripped breaker or a blown fuse will stop it cold. If power and the thermostat both check out and the furnace still won't start, a contractor will need to look at the ignition system or the control board.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most of the time this means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit. That points to an ignition problem, a dirty flame sensor, or a gas supply issue. It can also happen for a few seconds right when the furnace starts, before the heat exchanger warms up, which is normal. If the air stays cold the whole time it's running, or the furnace short cycles on and off, the ignition system needs a contractor to check it.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This is usually the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep the gas flowing. When the thermocouple wears out or sits slightly out of position, it can't sense the flame properly and the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. A draft blowing across the pilot can also snuff it out, so check for anything blocking the flue or a nearby vent. If the pilot keeps going out after you relight it, the thermocouple likely needs replacing, and that's a job for a contractor since it involves the gas valve.