Furnace Repair in Pocatello, ID
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bannock County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat puts real hours on your furnace
Pocatello needs furnace heat September through June. That is ten months a year the burner is lighting, running, and shutting off, winter nights averaging 18°F from December through February keep it working hard on the coldest end of that. Most homes here heat with gas, and every one of those cycles puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor. When one of them finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all, or it lights and then shuts itself back down.
Winters here bring their share of storms, 79 of them over the past ten years, along with 46 wind events strong enough to cause damage. When a storm knocks out power, a standing pilot furnace stays lit and ready. One that lights electronically will come back on its own once power returns, but if something else was already wearing thin, that restart can be what pushes it past working.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 18°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 59%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 79 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $90 a year off heating for a typical Bannock County home.
Estimates for a typical Bannock 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.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to the individual job. The state tested that contractor and keeps a record of them before they can take on furnace repair or any other HVAC work.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the person in your house. Furnace work means a gas connection, and a bad one is the dangerous part of the job. In Bannock County, 58.9% of homes heat with gas, so this license covers the contractors working on most of the furnaces in the area.
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 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 at your panel. If those are fine, the igniter or the flame sensor may have failed, and a licensed contractor can test those parts.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is blowing but never warms up, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor is a common reason for this, since it shuts the gas off as a safety measure when it can't detect a flame. It can also mean the igniter has failed or the gas valve isn't opening. This isn't something to force past, since it means no heat is being produced at all even though the system is running.
- 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 sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to stay open. Once it wears out, it can't hold that signal, so the valve shuts the gas off and the flame goes out. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing, so a contractor will check both before replacing any part.