Furnace Repair in Niagara Falls, NY
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Niagara County will get in touch.
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Eight months of winter runs a furnace hard
Your furnace works from October through May here. That's most of the year, and on nights that average 21°F the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a time to keep up. Every one of those cycles puts a load on the igniter and the ignition control, and over enough winters those are the parts that fail.
Niagara County has logged 16 winter storms and 87 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across New York, 11% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. Most furnaces need electricity to run even if they burn gas, so when the power goes out, the heat goes with it. When it comes back on, the furnace should start up on its own. If yours doesn't, that's a sign something else needs attention.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 21°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 76%
- 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 $170 a year off heating for a typical Niagara County home.
Estimates for a typical Niagara 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 and the power switch. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and above room temperature, and check the switch that looks like a light switch near the furnace, since that gets bumped off more often than people expect. If those are fine, look at the furnace door itself. Most furnaces have a safety switch on the panel that has to be seated correctly for the unit to run, so a door that is not fully latched will keep it from starting. If power and the door check out and it still won't fire, a contractor will need to look at the ignition system.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is the fan running before the burners have caught up, which is normal for the first minute or so of a cycle. If cold air keeps coming for longer than that, check the air filter first, since a clogged one restricts airflow and can cause the burners to shut off while the fan keeps blowing. A dirty flame sensor can also cause the burners to shut down partway through a cycle, leaving the blower running on cold air. If changing the filter does not fix it, the ignition system likely needs a contractor's attention.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually comes down to the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to stay open. When it wears out or sits out of position, the flame lights and then dies as soon as you let go of the knob. A draft blowing across the pilot can cause the same thing, so check for anything pulling air through the area. If the flame keeps going out after you have ruled out a draft, the thermocouple needs to be adjusted or replaced, and that's a job for a contractor since it involves the gas valve.