Furnace Repair in New Haven, CT
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers New Haven will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat wears on a furnace
New Haven needs heat from October through May. That is eight months of the burner lighting and shutting off, night after night, on winter lows that average 25 degrees. Every start puts a load on the igniter and the parts that get the burner going.
Most homes here heat with gas, so a furnace that won't light usually means trouble at the igniter or the valve that feeds the burner. Connecticut also sees real power outages, with a fifth of households losing power for a full day or more last year. A furnace with no power at the switch or the breaker will not run no matter what shape it's in.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
A new furnace would cut about $140 a year off heating for a typical New Haven home.
Estimates for a typical New Haven home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Connecticut 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.
Connecticut requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection tests and records the contractor, and the license stays tied to that person or business, not to any single job. So the license someone holds for a furnace repair in New Haven is the same one that would cover other HVAC work, because it was issued to them, not stamped for this particular visit.
That means the license is the thing accountable for a furnace repair here. Gas is the part of the job that matters most, since a bad connection is what turns a repair dangerous, and the state's testing is what stands behind the person making that connection. Nearly half of homes in New Haven heat with gas, so this is not a rare case the license happens to cover. It is the ordinary job it was built for.
Sources: Connecticut General Assembly · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
- 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 put fresh batteries in if it takes them. If the thermostat looks fine, check the furnace switch, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit, and make sure it's on. Next check the breaker, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. If power is reaching the furnace and it still won't start, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, and that's a job for a licensed contractor to test and replace.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is blowing but it's not warm, the furnace may be running the blower without the burners lighting. Check the thermostat fan setting first. If it's set to "on" instead of "auto", the blower runs constantly, even between heating cycles, and that air will feel cold. If the fan is set to auto and you're still getting cold air, the igniter or a safety switch may be stopping the burners from lighting while the blower still runs. That needs a contractor to look at, especially with lows around 25°F overnight here in New Haven.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out. The thermocouple is a small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep the gas flowing. When it wears out or sits out of position, it shuts the gas off and the pilot goes out, even if the flame looked fine a moment before. A draft blowing across the pilot can also cause it, so check for anything nearby moving air toward the unit. A thermocouple is inexpensive to replace but involves working with the gas line, so have a licensed contractor handle it.