Furnace Repair in Syracuse, NY
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Onondaga County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat puts a lot of hours on your furnace
From October through May your furnace is the thing standing between you and a house at 18°F. That is eight months of cycling on and off, night after night, all winter long. Every time it fires, the igniter has to light the burner, and that part wears with each start until one night it doesn't.
Syracuse has seen 22 winter storms and 186 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. When the power drops, your furnace stops, gas or not. Most furnaces come back on their own once power returns, but if yours doesn't restart, or the heat feels weaker than it should once it does, that's worth a look before the next cold night.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 18°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 70%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 22 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 Onondaga County home.
Estimates for a typical Onondaga 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 above room temperature, and check the batteries if it has a screen that looks dim or blank. If the thermostat looks fine, check your electrical panel for a tripped breaker, since furnaces run on power even if they burn gas for heat. A closed gas valve or a switch near the furnace itself, the kind that looks like a light switch, can also be the culprit if someone bumped it during storage or cleaning nearby. If all of that checks out and the furnace still won't start, the igniter or a safety switch inside the unit is likely holding it off, and that calls for a contractor to open it up and test it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often this means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit. Furnaces run the blower for a short time before and after heating to clear the heat exchanger, so a few seconds of cool air at startup or shutoff is normal. If cold air keeps blowing the whole time it's running, check your air filter first, since a filter packed with dust can choke airflow and trip a safety switch that cuts the burners while leaving the fan on. If the filter is clean and you're still getting cold air, the igniter, the flame sensor, or the gas valve likely needs a contractor to check it, especially with 18°F nights common here from December through February.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit almost always points to the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the flame is actually burning. When that part wears out or sits slightly out of position, the valve shuts off the gas thinking the flame is out, even though you just relit it. A draft blowing across the pilot can also blow it out, so check if a vent or door nearby is letting in outside air. If relighting it keeps failing or it goes out again within a few minutes, the thermocouple needs a contractor to test or replace, since this isn't something to keep working around during the 8 months a year homes here need heat.