Furnace Repair in Schenectady, NY
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Schenectady County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of work a year, on nights near 17°F
Your furnace runs from October through May here, eight months of the year. On winter nights that average 17°F, it is not idling. It cycles on and off for hours at a stretch to hold the house at temperature, and every one of those starts puts load on the igniter and the burner. That is usually where trouble shows first. The furnace won't light, or it lights and then shuts back down.
Schenectady County has seen 45 winter storms and 188 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Storms like that knock out power, and across New York, 11 percent of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. Most furnaces need electricity to run the blower and controls. When the power drops on a cold night, the heat stops with it, storm or no storm.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 17°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 69%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 45 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 Schenectady County home.
Estimates for a typical Schenectady 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, since a dead battery or a setting bumped to off will stop the furnace before it ever tries to start. If the thermostat looks right, check the power switch on or near the furnace and the breaker it runs on. A furnace that still won't respond may have a tripped safety switch or a failed igniter, and those need a contractor to check.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most of the time this means the furnace is running the blower but the burners haven't lit yet, or the thermostat fan setting is on instead of auto. If the air stays cold for more than a few minutes, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, which stops the burners while the blower keeps running. With winter lows around 17°F here, a furnace stuck like this needs attention quickly.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that keeps going out is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer sense the flame, so the gas valve shuts off to protect the house. It can also mean a draft is reaching the pilot, or the pilot orifice is dirty and the flame is too weak to hold. A standing pilot doesn't run on electricity, so a power outage isn't the cause. A contractor can test the thermocouple and clean or replace the parts that keep the flame lit.