Furnace Repair in Bronx, NY
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bronx County will get in touch.
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Seven months of work, in a Bronx winter
Your furnace runs from October through April here, seven months out of the year. On winter nights that average 28°F, it is not just holding steady, it is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch to keep up. Each start is a small strain on the igniter and the burner, and over enough winters that strain catches up with the parts.
More than half the homes here heat with gas, so a furnace that will not light or that trips out partway through a cycle is a common call in the Bronx. The area has seen 16 winter storms and 20 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that bring power blips along with the cold. If your furnace stops mid-cycle after a flicker in the power, that is often just the ignition sequence needing a reset, not a sign anything failed.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 52%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 16 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $130 a year off heating for a typical Bronx County home.
Estimates for a typical Bronx County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New York 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 change the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the furnace. Many furnaces also have a switch that looks like a light switch near the unit itself, sometimes down in the basement, and it needs to be in the on position. If none of that brings it back, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may have failed, and that calls for a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most of the time this means the burners aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor is a common cause, since it can't detect the flame and shuts the gas off as a safety measure. A clogged air filter can also cause this by restricting airflow enough to trip a safety limit. If the air has been cold for more than a few minutes, or it never warms up at all, the furnace needs a contractor to find out why the burners aren't staying lit.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually points to the thermocouple, the small part that senses the pilot flame and keeps the gas valve open. When it wears out or sits out of position, it tells the furnace no flame is present and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit. A draft blowing across the pilot can also blow it out repeatedly. If relighting it works for a moment and then it goes out again, the thermocouple is the likely cause, and a contractor can test and replace it.