Furnace Repair in Wahpeton, ND
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Richland County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, five below zero nights
Your furnace in Wahpeton works from September through May. That is nine months of the year it has to fire up and keep firing. On the coldest nights, when the temperature drops to an average of 5°F, it runs almost constantly, cycling on and off to hold the house at temperature. Every one of those cycles puts wear on the igniter and the parts that get the burner lit.
Almost half the homes here heat with electricity, which means a power outage can stop the furnace cold. Richland County sees its share of winter storms and high wind, and when the power goes out on a night like that, the house starts losing heat right away. If your furnace has stopped lighting, is cycling more than it used to, or will not come back on, that is the cold catching up with parts that have been working hard all season.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 5°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 60 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 is held by the contractor, not issued per job, so it covers the business doing the work rather than any single repair. The Secretary of State's office is where that license sits, which means the state has tested and recorded this contractor before they ever step into a home.
For furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the work, provided the job costs $4,000 or more. Below that amount, North Dakota does not require a licensed contractor at all, so a furnace repair priced under $4,000 can legally be done by someone the state has not licensed.
Sources: North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Secretary of State
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most of the time it comes down to the thermostat, the power supply, or the igniter. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has working batteries first. If the furnace still won't respond, check the breaker and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that gets bumped off more often than people expect. A dead igniter is common too. It's the part that lights the gas, and once it fails the furnace won't fire even though everything else runs. With winter lows here averaging 5°F, a furnace that won't start needs a contractor out quickly.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- A furnace blows cold air for a few minutes when it first starts, while the heat exchanger warms up. That's normal. If cold air keeps coming the whole time it runs, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the blower is, so you get air movement with no heat behind it. A clogged filter can also starve the burners of the airflow they need to run right. If the fan runs constantly on cold air, a contractor will need to look at the igniter, the flame sensor, or the gas valve.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out. It's the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning, and once it wears out it shuts the gas off even with the flame lit. A draft blowing across the pilot can also blow it out, so check for anything venting near the unit. If it keeps going out after you relight it a few times, don't keep trying. A contractor should check the thermocouple and the gas line before you're left without heat overnight.