Furnace Repair in Prineville, OR
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Crook County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat puts real wear on a furnace here
In Prineville, the furnace runs September through June. That is ten months of the year the burner is lighting and shutting off, night after night, against winter lows that average 23°F. Every one of those cycles wears on the igniter and the parts that control the burner.
More than half the homes here heat with electricity, and the power does not always stay on. Crook County has seen 44 winter storms and 14 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, a fifth of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. When the power drops, an electric furnace stops with it, and a house that was warm an hour ago starts losing heat fast.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 44 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Oregon requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Oregon licenses HVAC contractors through the Construction Contractors Board. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so it is the same license whether they are fixing a furnace or installing one.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the work, with one exception. Oregon does not require a licensed contractor for work under $1,000. Above that amount, the person working on your furnace is licensed by the state to do it.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- The most common reason is the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or something is blocking the signal from thermostat to furnace. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and that it has fresh batteries if it uses them. A tripped breaker or a switch near the furnace turned off will also keep it from starting. If those check out, the igniter or flame sensor inside the furnace may have failed, and that's a job for a licensed contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often this means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit. A dirty flame sensor is a common cause, since it shuts the gas off as a safety measure when it can't detect a flame. It can also mean the thermostat fan setting is on rather than auto, which runs the blower without calling for heat. If the air stays cold and the thermostat is set correctly, the furnace needs a contractor to look at the ignition system.
- 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 out of position, it shuts the gas off even though the pilot lit a moment ago. A draft near the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing. Relighting it yourself is fine if you know the steps on your model, but if it keeps going out, the part needs to be checked or replaced by a licensed contractor.