Furnace Repair in La Grande, OR
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Union County will get in touch.
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La Grande furnaces run nearly all year
Your furnace works from September through June here, ten months of the year. On winter nights that average 23°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch to hold the house steady. Every cycle means another ignition, and the igniter is usually the first part to wear out from that kind of use.
Union County sees hard weather too. Ten years of records show 110 winter storms and 18 damaging wind events come through. Wind and ice take down power lines, and when the power drops mid-storm your furnace stops with it. Most furnaces come back on by themselves once power is restored, but if yours doesn't restart, that's worth a call rather than a wait.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 110 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $170 a year off heating for a typical Union County home.
Estimates for a typical Union County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Oregon 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.
Oregon requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Contractors Board licenses the contractor, not the individual repair. That means the board has tested this contractor and keeps a record of the license, but it does not sign off on each job separately. Furnace work under $1,000 in Oregon does not need a licensed contractor at all, so a small repair may fall outside that record.
For a furnace repair, the license is what stands behind the person in your house. Gas connections are the part that matters most, since a loose fitting or bad seal is what makes the job dangerous, and a licensed contractor is the one accountable for getting that connection right. In a county like Union, where 44.3% of homes heat with gas, that accountability is the whole protection this job has.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most of the time it comes down to the thermostat, the power supply, or the igniter. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is actually above room temperature. Next check the breaker and the furnace's own power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed, and that's a part a contractor needs to replace. With winter lows here averaging 23°F, it's worth getting this looked at quickly rather than waiting.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it's not warm, the burners may not be lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter can stop the burners from firing while the fan keeps pushing air through the vents. It can also mean the furnace is in the middle of its normal cycle, running the blower briefly before the burners kick in. If the air stays cold for more than a few minutes, the furnace needs a contractor to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple isn't sensing the pilot flame, so the gas valve shuts off to protect the house. A weak or misaligned thermocouple, a dirty pilot orifice, or a draft blowing out the flame are the common causes. Some newer furnaces don't have a standing pilot at all and use an electronic igniter instead, so if yours is older, this is worth having a contractor check. Homes here need heat most of the year, so a pilot that won't hold isn't something to leave for long.