Furnace Repair in Conway, NH
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Carroll County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, and winters that hit 12 below zero
Conway needs heat from September through May. That is nine months of your furnace cycling on, most nights working against a low near 12°F. Every one of those cold nights means more run time, more start-up cycles, and more wear on the igniter and the burner assembly.
A lot of homes here run on fuel oil, and oil furnaces depend on a clean nozzle and a steady flow to fire right. Cold snaps are when a clogged nozzle or a weak igniter finally quits, usually on the night you need the heat most. Add in the area's storms, wind events strong enough to knock out power have hit this county dozens of times over the past decade, and a furnace that relies on that power to run its blower and ignition system goes down right along with the lights.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 12°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 103 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
New Hampshire has no state license for HVAC contractors.
There is no state license or registration behind the person coming to work on your furnace, and no state record listing who does this work or what they passed to get here in New Hampshire. Whatever screening happens is done by the contractor's employer, or by nobody at all. There is no threshold or exemption to point to, because the state never set one to begin with.
That leaves nothing at the state level standing between you and the work. Nothing here says who is or is not allowed to open up a furnace, check the gas connection, or sign off on the repair. In New Hampshire, that responsibility sits with whoever you choose to let into your house.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- The most common reason is the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or power isn't reaching the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set above room temperature and has working batteries if it uses them. Next check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker at your panel. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may have failed, and that needs a contractor to diagnose. With winter nights here averaging 12°F, a furnace that won't start needs attention the same day.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often the blower is running before the burners have lit, or the furnace is stuck in fan-only mode. Check the thermostat fan setting. If it's set to "on" instead of "auto," the blower runs constantly and pushes cold air between heating cycles. If it's already on "auto" and you're still getting cold air, the igniter, flame sensor, or gas supply may be the problem, and that calls for a contractor to look at the burner assembly directly.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out. The thermocouple sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to stay open. Once it wears out, it can't hold that signal, and the gas valve shuts the pilot off as a safety measure. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can also cause this. Replacing the thermocouple is a simple part swap for a contractor, but the gas valve itself should not be worked on except by someone licensed to handle gas appliances.