Furnace Repair in Durango, CO
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers La Plata County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat wears a furnace down in Durango
Your furnace runs September through June here. On winter nights averaging 16°F it cycles on and off all night to hold the house steady, and every cycle puts another load on the igniter and the blower motor. Parts that might last years somewhere warmer wear out faster when the furnace barely gets a rest.
La Plata County has seen 128 winter storms and 30 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Across Colorado, 13% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. Almost half the homes here heat with gas, and a gas furnace still needs electricity to run its blower and controls. When the power goes out, the furnace stops with it, and it will not start again on its own until the power comes back.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 128 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $110 a year off heating for a typical La Plata County home.
Estimates for a typical La Plata County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Colorado 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. Then check the breaker and the furnace's own power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may be at fault, and that calls for a contractor to check.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is blowing but it's cold, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor or a bad igniter will stop the burners from staying lit while the fan keeps moving air through the ducts. It can also mean the thermostat fan setting is on instead of auto, which runs the blower with no heat behind it. Check that setting first, since it takes a minute and costs nothing.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit usually means the thermocouple isn't sensing the flame, so the gas valve shuts it off as a safety measure. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot opening can cause the same thing. Furnaces with a standing pilot use no electricity to keep that flame burning, so a power outage isn't the cause. A contractor can tell whether it's the thermocouple, the gas valve, or something blocking the flame itself.