Furnace Repair in Monroe, MI
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Monroe County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat puts real wear on a Monroe furnace
From October through May your furnace is the thing standing between your family and a house at 21°F. That is eight months of nightly cycles, lighting and shutting off, lighting and shutting off, and every one of those starts puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor. Those are usually the first parts to fail, and when they do, the furnace either won't light or shuts off soon after it does.
Monroe County has also seen 8 winter storms and 95 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and power drops with them. Across Michigan, over a third of households went at least a day without power in 2024. A gas furnace, and 80.5% of homes here heat with one, still needs electricity to run the blower and controls. When the power goes out in a cold snap, the furnace goes with it, and it needs to come back on and hold once power is restored.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 21°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 81%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 8 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $130 a year off heating for a typical Monroe County home.
Estimates for a typical Monroe 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.
The license is held by the contractor, not tied to any single job, so it covers this repair the same way it covers any other work that contractor does. The Board of Mechanical Rules is what tested and tracked that contractor before they ever got to your furnace.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your gas line. A bad connection is the part of this job that can hurt someone, and in Michigan the licensed contractor is accountable for getting it right. Most homes in Monroe County heat with gas, so this is the rule doing the job it was written for.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way you think it is, or power isn't reaching the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set below 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 for it. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may be the problem, and that calls for a contractor to check it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it's cold, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor is a common cause. It's the part that tells the furnace a flame is actually present, and once it's coated with residue the furnace shuts the gas off as a safety measure, leaving just the fan running. A clogged filter can also starve the burners of the airflow they need to stay lit. A contractor can clean the sensor and check the filter and airflow.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that keeps going out usually points to the thermocouple, the small part that senses the flame and keeps gas flowing to it. When it wears out or sits out of position, it reads the flame as absent and shuts the gas valve even though the pilot is lit. A draft blowing across the pilot can cause the same problem. Either way, a contractor can tell which it is and replace the part if needed.