Furnace Repair in Norwich, CT
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Norwich will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat wears a furnace down early
Norwich needs a working furnace from October through May, eight months a year. Winter nights average 24°F from December through February, and on nights that cold the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch. Every one of those starts puts load on the igniter and the flame sensor, and over enough winters those are the parts that fail first.
Nearly half the homes in this area heat with fuel oil, and an oil furnace has its own wear points. The nozzle can clog, and the burner can lose its flame on a night when you need it most. Power still matters too. In Connecticut, 20 percent of households went at least 24 hours without power last year, and a furnace with no electricity will not run no matter how well it was maintained.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 24°F
- the average winter night it heats against
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
Connecticut requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state issues this license to the contractor, not to each job, so it covers them for your furnace repair without any separate paperwork tied to it. It means the Department of Consumer Protection has tested and recorded this contractor, apart from whatever insurance or bond they carry.
Because Connecticut licenses the contractor doing the work, that license is what stands behind your furnace repair. A furnace burns gas, and a bad connection is the dangerous part of that job. The license is the state's record that this contractor is accountable for the work, not just for this repair but for whatever else they take on under it.
Sources: Connecticut General Assembly · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or power to the furnace has been cut off somewhere. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the furnace switch and the breaker. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may be stopping it from starting, and that calls for a licensed contractor to check.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The blower is running but the burners haven't lit, or haven't lit yet. A furnace often blows a few seconds of cool air before the burners catch, so short bursts of cold air aren't unusual. If the air stays cold, the igniter, the flame sensor, or the gas valve isn't doing its job, and a licensed contractor will need to find out which.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A weak or dirty thermocouple is the usual reason a pilot light won't stay lit. The thermocouple senses the flame and holds the gas valve open, and once it's worn or coated with soot it can't hold that signal. Newer furnaces don't use a standing pilot at all, so if yours has one, it's worth having a licensed contractor check the thermocouple and the pilot assembly.