Furnace Repair in Flagstaff, AZ
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Coconino County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat puts real wear on your furnace
Flagstaff needs a working furnace from October through May. That's eight months of the year, with winter nights averaging 23°F from December through February. A furnace that runs that long, that often, cycles on and off many times a day just to hold the house at temperature. Each start puts load on the igniter and the parts that get it burning.
The area also sees frequent winter storms and wind, and power isn't always steady through them. When the power drops and comes back, most furnaces restart on their own, but if the igniter or another part was already worn down, that's when it fails to relight. You'll notice it as a house that won't warm up, or a furnace that clicks and tries but doesn't catch.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 201 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $160 a year off heating for a typical Coconino County home.
Estimates for a typical Coconino County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Arizona 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.
Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license means the state tested this contractor before letting them work and keeps a record of them under the Registrar of Contractors. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the specific job at your house, so the same license that qualifies them to install a mini-split also qualifies them to repair a furnace.
For a gas furnace, the part that matters most is the gas connection itself, since a bad one is what makes the repair dangerous rather than just ineffective. In Coconino County, close to half of homes heat with gas, so this is common work for a licensed contractor here, and the state license is what stands behind whoever opens up that furnace.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, sometimes mounted on the furnace itself or nearby on a wall or joist. Filters that haven't been changed can also choke off airflow enough that the furnace shuts itself down as a safety measure. If all of that checks out and it still won't start, the igniter or a safety switch inside the unit may have failed, and that calls for a licensed contractor to open it up and test the parts.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is the blower running before the burners have lit, which happens for a short stretch every time the furnace starts. If cold air keeps coming for more than a few minutes, the igniter or flame sensor may be failing to light the burners at all, so the blower runs with nothing heating the air behind it. A dirty filter can also cause this by restricting airflow enough to trip a limit switch that shuts off the burners while leaving the fan running. If changing the filter doesn't fix it, the furnace needs a contractor to check the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light 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 it's safe to keep gas flowing. When it fails, the valve shuts the gas off within seconds of you letting go of the button, even though the pilot lit just fine. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same problem, so it's worth checking for drafts near the unit first. If the flame won't hold after that, the thermocouple or gas valve needs to be replaced by a licensed contractor.