Furnace Repair in Kellogg, ID
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Shoshone County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat wears a furnace down fast in Kellogg
Your furnace works September through June here, ten months of the year. On winter nights that average 22°F, it runs long and it cycles on and off again and again to hold the house at temperature.
Each cycle depends on the igniter and the flame sensor to light the burner and prove the flame. Ten months of that adds up to a lot of starts, and those are the parts that wear out first. Winter storms are common here too, and a furnace that runs on electricity for its blower and controls stops working when the power does. If yours is struggling to light, short cycling, or not putting out heat like it should, this is usually why.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 52%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 189 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 Shoshone County home.
Estimates for a typical Shoshone County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Idaho 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.
Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Idaho licenses HVAC contractors through the state's HVAC Board. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a furnace repair in Boise covers one in Shoshone County.
For this job, that license is what stands behind the work. A furnace repair on a gas furnace often means checking the gas connection itself, since a bad connection is the dangerous part of the job. In Shoshone County, more than half of homes heat with gas, so this is a common repair here, and the license is the record of who is qualified to do it.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way you think it is, or the furnace isn't getting power or gas. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has working batteries. Next check your breaker panel and the furnace's own power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If those are fine, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, and that's a job for a licensed contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Cold air from the vents usually means the burners aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor is a common cause. It's the small metal rod near the burners that tells the furnace a flame is actually present, and if it's coated with residue, the furnace shuts the gas off as a safety measure and just moves air. A cracked heat exchanger or a gas supply problem can also cause this, so if cleaning the sensor doesn't fix it, have a contractor take a look before running the furnace again.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually points to the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to stay open. When it wears out or sits slightly out of position, the valve reads no flame and shuts the gas off even though the pilot was lit a moment ago. A draft blowing across the pilot can cause the same thing. Either way, this isn't something to keep relighting on your own if it keeps happening. A licensed contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.