Furnace Repair in Lansing, MI
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Ingham County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat is a lot to ask of one furnace
From October through May your furnace is the thing standing between your house and 19 degree nights. That is eight months of the burner lighting, running, shutting off, and lighting again, night after night. Every one of those cycles puts wear on the igniter and the parts that get the burner going. When one of them finally gives out, you will notice it as a furnace that will not light at all.
Most furnaces in this area run on gas, and gas furnaces need power to run the igniter, the blower, and the control board. Ingham County has had 12 winter storms and 21 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and across Michigan a third of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. When the power drops on a night that cold, a furnace that was working fine an hour before will not run at all.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 69%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 12 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $150 a year off heating for a typical Ingham County home.
Estimates for a typical Ingham County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Michigan 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.
Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Michigan's Board of Mechanical Rules is the body that tests and keeps record of who holds this license. It covers the contractor, not the address and not this one job, so the same license that qualifies someone to work in Lansing qualifies them to work on your street.
Because the license belongs to the contractor rather than the repair, it is what stands behind the person working on your furnace. A furnace repair usually means opening up a gas connection, and that connection is the part that has to be right. In Ingham County, 68.5% of homes heat with gas, so a furnace burning gas safely is the ordinary case here, not the exception.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, since a setting bumped a few degrees can look like a dead furnace. Check the breaker next, because a tripped one will cut power to the furnace without any other sign. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed or the flame sensor may be dirty, and either one will stop the furnace from firing even though the blower and controls have power. A gas furnace also won't start if the pilot is out or the gas valve is shut, so check both before assuming the worst.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often this means the furnace hasn't ignited even though the blower is running, so air moves through the vents without ever getting heated. A dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter can cause this, since either one will stop combustion while the fan keeps working normally. It can also mean the furnace is in its startup cycle, when the blower runs briefly before the burners light, and the air feels cool for a short stretch before it warms up. If the air stays cold for more than a few minutes, the furnace isn't lighting and needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually points to the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve a flame is present. When it wears out or sits slightly out of position, it reads no flame even when one is lit, and the valve shuts the gas off. A draft near the pilot can also blow it out, so check for airflow from a nearby vent or door. If the pilot relights but goes out again within a minute or two, the thermocouple is the likely cause and a contractor can replace it.