Furnace Repair in Montrose, CO
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Montrose County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat a year takes its toll
Furnaces in Montrose run October through May, eight months of the year. On winter nights averaging 18°F, the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch to keep up. Every start is another load on the igniter and the flame sensor, and those parts wear faster here than they would somewhere that only needs heat for a few months.
Most homes in the area heat with gas, so when the furnace won't light, there's no backup warmth to fall back on. Winter storms are common here, and outages happen, with 13% of Colorado households losing power for a day or more last year. A furnace that was already struggling to light before the power went out often won't start again once it's back.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 18°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 62%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 202 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $100 a year off heating for a typical Montrose County home.
Estimates for a typical Montrose 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?
- The most common reason is the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or power isn't reaching the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set above room temperature and has fresh batteries if it uses them. Next, check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker at your electrical panel. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed, or a safety switch may be stopping the furnace from starting, and a contractor will need to test it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If the air feels cold at first, that's normal. Furnaces take a minute or two to heat up before warm air reaches the vents. If the air stays cold, check that the thermostat fan setting is on "auto" and not "on", since "on" runs the blower even when the furnace isn't heating. If the setting is right and the air still isn't warming, the burners may not be igniting, and a contractor will need to look at the gas valve and igniter.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out. The thermocouple is a small safety sensor that shuts off the gas if it doesn't sense the pilot flame, and once it wears out it can misread a lit flame as out. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot opening can also cause this. If relighting it doesn't hold, a contractor will need to check the thermocouple and the pilot assembly.