Furnace Repair in Bottineau, ND
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bottineau County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, and nights near zero
Your furnace runs September through May here, nine months a year. On nights averaging 1°F, it is not just cycling on and off, it is running long stretches to hold the temperature against that kind of cold. That steady load wears on the igniter and the blower motor, the parts carrying the work hour after hour through the winter.
59.2% of homes here heat with electricity, so a power outage takes the furnace down with it. Bottineau County has seen 30 winter storms and 34 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across North Dakota, 7% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. Most furnaces restart on their own once the power is back, but it is worth knowing that yours does.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 1°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 30 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
North Dakota requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license comes through the Secretary of State's office. It covers the contractor as a whole, not each job, so the state has a record of who this contractor is before they touch your furnace.
That license is what stands behind a furnace repair in North Dakota. There is one exception. Work under $4,000 does not need a licensed contractor at all. A repair at or above that amount falls under the same license requirement as a full installation.
Sources: North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Secretary of State
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the set temperature is above room temperature, and check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts it off for service and gets bumped or left off by accident. Some furnaces also won't run if the drain line or float switch is blocked, so a licensed contractor will need to check that along with the igniter and control board.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often the burners aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter will stop the burners from staying lit, and the blower keeps pushing air through the ducts whether or not that air is being heated. It can also mean the furnace is in its normal startup, where the blower runs a few seconds before the burners fire. If the air stays cold the whole time it runs, a contractor will need to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple is worn out. That's the small rod that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. Once it wears down it can't hold that signal, so the gas valve shuts the pilot off a few seconds after you let go. A draft blowing out the flame or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing, and a licensed contractor can tell which one it is.