Furnace Repair in Fort Wayne, IN
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Allen County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, and nights near 21 degrees
Your furnace works from October through May here, and on winter nights that average 21°F it runs long and often to keep up. Most homes in Allen County heat with gas, and that means a burner and igniter cycling on and off for eight months straight. Each start puts wear on the igniter, and a worn one stops lighting the burner at all.
Allen County also sees its share of winter storms and wind, and power doesn't always hold through them. If the power drops mid-winter, your furnace won't run when you need it most, whether the problem is the storm or a part that was already failing.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 21°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 70%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 8 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $110 a year off heating for a typical Allen County home.
Estimates for a typical Allen 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.
Allen County sets its own rule for who can do HVAC work on a house here, since Indiana leaves that decision to counties and cities. There is no state license to check, no state board that tested this contractor or has a record of them. Whatever rule applies comes from the county or city where the house sits, not from Indianapolis.
For a furnace repair, the part that matters most is the gas connection, since a bad one is what makes the job dangerous. Indiana's facts do not name a state inspection for that, so whatever oversight exists here comes from wherever Allen County has placed it, not from a state license. Most homes in Allen County heat with gas, so that connection is the thing this job is really about.
Sources: Indiana Department of Workforce Development · State of Indiana
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- The most common reason is a thermostat set wrong or a switch that got bumped off. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and a few degrees above room temperature, and check that the power switch on or near the furnace is on. A tripped breaker or a furnace filter packed with dust can also stop it from starting. If those check out and it still won't fire, a contractor will need to look at the ignition system.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most furnaces run the blower for a short time before the burners light, so a little cool air at startup is normal. If it blows cold the whole time it runs, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the fan is. A dirty flame sensor or a bad igniter are common causes of that, and neither is something to keep running on. Shut it off at the thermostat and have a contractor check it, since a blower running without heat can also point to a gas supply problem.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer hold the gas valve open once you let go. A draft blowing across the pilot can also blow it out, so check that nothing nearby is pushing air toward it. If it relights and goes out again within a few seconds, that points to the thermocouple rather than a draft. This is a gas part, so have a contractor replace it rather than trying to adjust it yourself.