Furnace Repair in Sheridan, WY
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Sheridan County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat, and nights near 13 below zero
Your furnace in Sheridan County works from September through June. That leaves barely two months when it sits idle. On winter nights averaging 13°F, it runs long and often, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor.
Wind is part of the load too. The county has logged 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years, on top of 54 winter storms. Wind that strong can push back on the vent hood and blow out a pilot light, and when the power drops with it, a furnace that relies on an electronic igniter will not restart until it's back. Across Wyoming, 8% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. When yours comes back on, the furnace should too. If it does not, that's a sign something inside needs a look.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 13°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 53%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 54 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 Sheridan County home.
Estimates for a typical Sheridan 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 check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the furnace switch, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker for the furnace at your electrical panel. Furnaces built in the last few decades also need the pilot lit or the igniter working, and if either has failed the furnace won't start at all. A contractor can tell you which of these it is.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty filter cutting off airflow so badly the furnace shuts down its burners to protect itself, while the blower keeps running and pushes out cold air. Check the filter first and replace it if it's gray or clogged. If the filter is clean, the igniter or flame sensor may be failing, so the burners never light even though the blower still runs. At 13°F average lows here, a furnace stuck on cold air needs attention quickly.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This is almost always the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep sending gas. When it wears out or sits slightly out of place, it can't sense the flame and the valve shuts the gas off, so the pilot goes out. A draft blowing across the pilot can also put it out, so check for anything blocking a nearby vent. If relighting it doesn't hold, the thermocouple likely needs replacing.