Furnace Repair in Columbus, IN
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bartholomew County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of heat, and nights that drop to 24°F
Your furnace works from October through April here, seven months of the year. On winter nights averaging 24°F, it cycles on and off again and again to hold the house steady, and each cycle puts a little more wear on the igniter and the burner. Over a long winter that adds up, and the furnace can start taking longer to catch, or fail to light at all.
Bartholomew County has seen 10 winter storms and 40 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Wind and ice bring down power lines, and statewide, 17% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A gas furnace still needs electricity to run its blower and controls, so when the power drops in the middle of a cold snap, the furnace stops with it.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 24°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 51%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 10 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 Bartholomew County home.
Estimates for a typical Bartholomew County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Indiana 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.
In Indiana, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the counties and cities.
Bartholomew County sets its own rule on who can do this work, since Indiana leaves that decision to counties and cities rather than deciding it at the state level. That means there's no state exam behind a contractor's name here, and no state license number to check. Whatever oversight exists on a furnace repair in this county comes from whatever the county itself requires, not from Indianapolis.
For a furnace repair, the part that matters most is the gas connection, since that's where a mistake turns dangerous. Whether anyone checks that connection on this job depends on what Bartholomew County itself asks for, and that answer sits with the county rather than the state. Just over half the homes here heat with gas, so this is a common repair in the county, but whatever stands behind it comes from local rules, not from any license Indiana issues.
Sources: Indiana Department of Workforce Development · State of Indiana
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way it should, or power isn't reaching the furnace. 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 a safety switch inside the furnace may have failed, and that calls for a contractor to open it up and test it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Air blows cold for a few minutes when the furnace first starts, and that's normal while the burners warm up. If it stays cold, the filter may be clogged enough to choke off airflow, or the flame sensor has failed and the burners aren't lighting at all. A dirty filter you can swap yourself. A furnace that runs the blower but never lights needs a contractor to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer sense the flame, so the gas valve shuts back off. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can also cause it. Newer furnaces don't use a standing pilot at all, so if yours is older, this part is a common wear item and a contractor can replace it directly.