Furnace Repair in Utica, NY
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Oneida County will get in touch.
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Nine months of Utica winter wears a furnace down
Your furnace carries the house from September through May here, nine months of the year. On nights that average 15°F, it is cycling on and off most of the night to hold the temperature, and every start puts a load on the igniter and the burner. That kind of use adds up faster than it does somewhere with a shorter winter.
Oneida County has logged 57 winter storms and 195 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. Across New York, 11% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. Most furnaces need electricity to run the blower and controls even if the burner itself lights on its own, so when the power goes out in the middle of a cold snap, the heat goes with it.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 57%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 57 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $190 a year off heating for a typical Oneida County home.
Estimates for a typical Oneida 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 isn't calling for heat, a safety switch has tripped, or power isn't reaching the unit. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature. Check your breaker panel too, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole furnace down. If the furnace has a standing pilot, check whether it's still lit. Beyond that, a failed igniter, a blocked flue, or a switch that senses a problem and shuts the furnace off as a safety measure can all keep it from starting, and those need a contractor to sort out.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it isn't warm, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the blower is running. That points to an igniter that isn't working, a flame sensor that shuts gas off before it lights, or a clogged filter that's making the furnace overheat and cut the burners while the fan keeps going. Check the filter first since that's the one thing you can rule out yourself. If it's clean and you're still getting cold air, the furnace needs a contractor to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit usually means the thermocouple has worn out. That's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is there. Once it fails, the valve reads no flame and shuts the gas off, even with the pilot burning right in front of it. A draft blowing out the flame or a dirty pilot opening can also cause this, but on an older furnace the thermocouple is the most common cause. It's a small part but it's a gas connection, so have a contractor replace it rather than doing it yourself.