Furnace Repair in Evansville, IN
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Vanderburgh County will get in touch.
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Seven months of work, every winter
Your furnace runs from October through April here, and on the coldest nights it's cycling on and off against an average low of 27°F. Every start puts a load on the igniter and the flame sensor. Over enough winters, one of them gives out and the furnace won't light at all.
Vanderburgh County also sees its share of winter storms and wind, and the power grid feels it. Statewide, 17% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A gas furnace still needs electricity to run its blower and controls, so when the power drops, so does your heat, storm or no storm.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 27°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 60%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 11 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $80 a year off heating for a typical Vanderburgh County home.
Estimates for a typical Vanderburgh 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.
Vanderburgh County sets its own rule for furnace repair, since Indiana keeps no state license or record of its own. Whether a contractor here is tested, registered, or subject to no rule at all is a question for the county or city, not the state. Which one applies depends on the address, not on the kind of job this is.
A furnace repair means gas is involved, and a bad connection is the dangerous part of the work. Whatever protection exists here comes from the county or city rule, not from any state license standing behind the job. About 60% of homes in Vanderburgh County heat with gas, so this is the ordinary call for a furnace contractor in this county, not an unusual one.
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 you think it is, 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, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker for it. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may be the problem, and that's a job for a contractor to open up and test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it's not warm, the furnace may be running the blower without the burners lighting. Start by checking the thermostat is set to heat, not fan, and that the setting is a few degrees above room temperature. A dirty filter can also cause this, since it starves the burners of airflow and trips a safety switch that shuts off the heat but leaves the fan running. If the filter looks clean and the thermostat is set right, the igniter, flame sensor, or gas valve likely needs a contractor to look at it.
- 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 part that sits in the flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep gas flowing. When it fails, the valve shuts the gas off as soon as you let go of the button, even though the flame was burning fine. Drafts near the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing, but a worn thermocouple is the most common reason and it's a straightforward part for a contractor to replace.