New York HVAC Help
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Furnace Repair in Brooklyn, NY

Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Kings County will get in touch.

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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
An unfinished basement containing a metal furnace with ductwork, exposed wooden joists on the ceiling, cardboard boxes, a coiled cable, and a single hanging incandescent bulb.

Seven months of heat puts real wear on your furnace

Your furnace runs from October through April here, seven months of the year. On winter nights that average 29°F, the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch. Every start puts load on the igniter and the parts that get the flame going. That is usually where trouble shows up first, a furnace that won't light or takes a few tries before it does.

Kings County has seen 16 winter storms and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Wind like that can push a vent hood loose or affect the draft your furnace needs to run safely. Power failures add another layer. Across New York, 11% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024, and a furnace that goes out in the cold needs to fire back up correctly once power is back.

7 months
October through April, your furnace is on duty
29°F
the average winter night it heats against
72%
of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
16 winter storms
in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
Isometric cutaway illustration of a single-story house showing interior rooms with furniture, ceiling ductwork, a furnace unit with a tall flue pipe, and a dark shingled roof.
Your furnace works hardest from November through March.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

An unfinished concrete basement containing a metal HVAC air handler, exposed wooden ceiling joists with sheet-metal ducts, a hanging bare bulb, copper pipes, and stacked cardboard boxes.

A new furnace would cut about $120 a year off heating for a typical Kings County home.

  • A new high-efficiency furnace$490 a year
  • An older furnace$610 a year

Estimates for a typical Kings 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?
Most often it's the thermostat, the power supply, or the igniter. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has working batteries, and check the furnace switch and breaker. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may be at fault. That needs a contractor to open the unit and test it. With winter lows here averaging 29°F, it's worth getting this looked at quickly rather than waiting.
Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
The blower is running but the burners haven't lit, or haven't lit yet. Furnaces often blow a few seconds of cool air before the burners catch, so short bursts of cold air are normal at startup. If the air stays cold the whole cycle, the igniter, the flame sensor, or the gas valve isn't doing its job. A contractor will need to test each one to find which.
Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
The thermocouple is the usual cause. It's the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. Once it wears out or sits out of position, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure. A draft blowing out the pilot is the other common cause. Either way, this isn't something to keep relighting on your own. A contractor should check the thermocouple and the flue draft.
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