Furnace Repair in Geneva, NY
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Ontario County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, and nights near 19 degrees
Your furnace works from October through May here. That is most of the year, and on the coldest nights it is fighting an average low of 19°F, cycling on and off for hours to keep up. Each cycle means the igniter has to fire again, and that repeated lighting is what wears one out. When it finally gives up, the furnace won't start at all.
Ontario County also sees its share of winter storms, real ones, and wind events that knock out power. A furnace with a gas burner still needs electricity to run its blower and controls, so when the power goes, so does your heat, right in the middle of the cold it was built for.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 59%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 14 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $180 a year off heating for a typical Ontario County home.
Estimates for a typical Ontario 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 the thermostat is not calling for heat the way you think it is, or power to the furnace has been interrupted. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has fresh batteries if it uses them. Next check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker at your electrical panel. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed or the flame sensor may be dirty, and a contractor will need to check those parts directly.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If the air from your vents feels cold, the furnace is likely running its fan without a flame behind it. That points to an ignition problem, a flame sensor that has shut the burner off for safety, or a thermostat fan setting left on instead of auto. It can also mean the furnace is warming up and the fan started before the burner caught, which corrects itself within a minute or two. If the air stays cold the whole time the furnace runs, it needs a contractor to look at the burner and ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out. That's the small metal rod that sits in the flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep sending gas. When it fails, the valve shuts off the gas as a safety measure, and the pilot goes out. It can also mean a draft is blowing the flame out or the pilot orifice is clogged, but a worn thermocouple is the most common cause and a contractor can replace it.