Furnace Repair in Rifle, CO
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Garfield County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat in Rifle wears a furnace down
Your furnace runs from September through June here, ten months of the year. On winter nights that average 16°F, it doesn't run once and stop. It cycles on and off for hours to hold the house steady, and every start puts a load on the igniter and the burner.
Winter storms add to that load. The area has logged 258 winter storms and 144 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 13% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A gas furnace should come back on by itself once power returns. If yours doesn't fire back up, or starts blowing cold air, that's the point to get it looked at.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 65%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 258 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $120 a year off heating for a typical Garfield County home.
Estimates for a typical Garfield 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 the furnace isn't getting power. Check that the thermostat is set below 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 for the furnace. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch may be keeping the furnace from starting, and that needs a contractor to check.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Give it a few minutes. A furnace runs cool air through the ducts first while the heat exchanger warms up, so what you feel right after it kicks on is normal. If air stays cold well after that, the burners may not be lighting even though the blower is running. That points to a flame sensor or gas supply problem, and it's worth having someone look at it before the next cold night.
- 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 part that sits in the flame and tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it fails, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure even though the flame was fine moments before. It's a simple part to replace, but a draft blowing out the flame or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing, so a contractor should check which one it is.