Furnace Repair in Saginaw, MI
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Saginaw County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, and nights near 19 degrees
Your furnace works from October through May here. On the coldest nights, down around 19°F, it runs long and often, cycling on and off many times to keep the house at temperature. Most homes in Saginaw County heat with gas, and that means an igniter and burner assembly firing again and again through the winter. Every start is wear. Eventually the igniter fails to light the burner at all, and that's the call that comes in on a night when it's needed most.
The area sees its share of winter storms and wind, and power still goes out for some households when the weather turns. A furnace won't run without electricity, even a gas one, since the blower and controls need it. When the power comes back, most furnaces restart on their own, but if yours doesn't, that's worth a call too.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 74%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 13 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 Saginaw County home.
Estimates for a typical Saginaw 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 state tests contractors before handing out this license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a furnace repair in one house covers the next one down the street.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the work. Furnace repair often means working on the gas line and the connections that feed it, and a bad connection there is the dangerous part of the job. In Saginaw County, most homes heat with gas, so that connection is doing real work most winters. The state license is what says the person making that connection was tested and is on record for it.
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 it should, or the furnace isn't getting power. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has fresh batteries if it uses them. Next check the furnace switch, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker at your panel. If those are fine, the igniter or the 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 moving but it's not warm, the furnace may be running the blower without the burners lighting. That points to an ignition problem or a safety switch shutting the burners off before they start. It can also mean the thermostat fan setting is stuck on 'on' instead of 'auto', which just circulates room air with no heat behind it. With winter lows here averaging 19°F, this isn't something to leave for long. A licensed contractor can tell you which one it is.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve a flame is present, has worn out or is out of position. When it doesn't sense the pilot flame correctly, the gas valve shuts off to prevent unburned gas from escaping. A draft blowing out the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing. A licensed HVAC contractor can pinpoint which part is failing and replace it.