Furnace Repair in Riverton, WY
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Fremont County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat puts real wear on a furnace
Your furnace runs from September through June here, ten months out of the year. On winter nights averaging 10°F, it cycles on and off many times just to hold the house steady, and every cycle puts a little more wear on the igniter and the burner. That kind of steady work is what eventually wears an igniter out. When it fails, the burner won't light at all, and the house starts to cool.
Fremont County also sees its share of winter storms and wind, and power drops with them. Most furnaces need electricity to run the blower and controls, so when the power goes out, so does the heat, even with the gas still on. Over the past ten years this area has logged 364 winter storms and 342 damaging wind events, so a furnace that struggles to restart cleanly after a power blip is a problem worth fixing before the next one hits.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 10°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 50%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 364 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $160 a year off heating for a typical Fremont County home.
Estimates for a typical Fremont 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 above room temperature, and if it runs on batteries, swap them. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. Furnaces also have a switch that looks like a light switch, often near the unit or on it, and if that got bumped off, nothing will start. If none of that explains it, the igniter or the flame sensor may have failed, and that's a job for a contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty filter choking off airflow. When a furnace can't pull enough air across its heat exchanger, it can overheat and shut down the burners while the blower keeps running, so you feel cold air instead of warm. Check the filter first and replace it if it's gray or clogged. If the filter is clean and you're still getting cold air, the igniter, flame sensor, or gas valve may be at fault, and that needs a contractor to look at it. With winter lows here averaging 10°F, a furnace stuck blowing cold air is worth getting checked the same day.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This is almost always the thermocouple, a small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep gas flowing. When it wears out or gets coated in soot, it stops sensing the flame correctly and shuts the gas off, even though the pilot lit fine a moment ago. A draft blowing out the pilot is possible too, so check for anything blocking a vent or gaps around the unit. If relighting it doesn't hold, the thermocouple likely needs to be replaced by a contractor. With homes here needing heat most of the year, it's not something to leave unresolved.