Furnace Repair in Lakewood, CO
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Jefferson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, and a furnace that has to earn it
Your furnace in Lakewood runs from September through May. On winter nights that average 18°F, it cycles on and off for hours to hold the house steady. Each cycle puts a little more wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, the parts that have to fire every time the thermostat calls for heat.
Most homes here heat with gas, so when the furnace stops, nothing else in the house is making heat. Jefferson County has logged 113 winter storms and 114 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. A furnace without power will not run no matter how well it was working the day before.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 18°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 72%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 113 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 Jefferson County home.
Estimates for a typical Jefferson 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 the way it should, or power isn't reaching the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has working batteries if it uses them. Next check the furnace switch, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker for it in your panel. If those are fine, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, and that's a job for a contractor to test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The blower can run before the burners light, so a few seconds of cool air at startup is normal. If it blows cold the whole time it runs, the furnace may not be igniting at all, or the flame sensor is shutting it down right after. A dirty filter can also starve the burners of air and trip a safety switch. With winter lows here averaging 18°F, a furnace that only moves air without heating it needs a contractor's attention soon.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A weak or dirty thermocouple is the usual cause. That's the small part that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. If it's coated with soot or worn out, it can't hold the valve open once you let go of it. A furnace with a standing pilot doesn't need power to keep that flame lit, but the thermocouple itself will need a contractor to clean or replace it.