Furnace Repair in St. George, UT
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Washington County will get in touch.
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St. George winters ask a lot of your furnace
Your furnace runs from October through May here, eight months of the year. On winter nights that average 28°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a time to keep the house warm, and every cycle puts a load on the igniter and the burner.
With 58.1% of homes here heating with gas, the furnace is doing the real work, not backing up something else. When the igniter finally gives out, the burner won't light at all. You'll hear the blower running and feel no heat coming through the vents.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 58%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 40 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 Washington County home.
Estimates for a typical Washington County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Utah 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.
Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Utah licenses HVAC contractors through the Division of Professional Licensing. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the job, so the same license covers this furnace repair as it would any other HVAC work they do. Utah also sets a line under that rule. Work under $7,000 does not need a licensed contractor, so a smaller furnace repair can fall outside the licensing requirement depending on the cost of the job.
A furnace burns gas, and the gas connection is the part of the repair that can hurt someone if it is done wrong. Above the $7,000 line, the license is what stands behind that work in Utah. Most homes in Washington County heat with gas, 58.1 percent of them, so a furnace repair is a common call here.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often it's the thermostat not calling for heat, a tripped breaker, or a safety switch that's stopped the furnace from starting. Check the thermostat is set below room temperature and has power first. If the breaker's fine and it still won't fire, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, or the door panel isn't sitting flush against its safety switch. A contractor can test these in a few minutes, but don't keep resetting it over and over if it won't hold.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Cold air from the vents usually means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit. That points to a bad igniter, a dirty flame sensor, or a gas valve that isn't opening. It can also mean the furnace is stuck in fan-only mode from a thermostat setting. If this happens on a cold night here, don't wait it out. A furnace that won't fire can leave a house losing heat fast when it's 28°F outside.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit is almost always the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the flame is burning. When it wears out or sits out of position, it reads no flame and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit. Drafts and a dirty pilot opening can cause the same thing. This is a simple part to replace, but it does need a contractor since it involves the gas valve.