Furnace Repair in Raton, NM
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Colfax County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of hard running takes its toll
Your furnace works from September through May here, with winter nights averaging 17°F from December through February. That is close to nine months a year the burner is cycling on and off to keep up, and most homes in Colfax County run on gas to do it. Every one of those cycles puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, and over a long winter that wear catches up with the parts.
The cold is only part of it. Colfax County has logged 129 winter storms and 157 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. When the power drops, the furnace stops with it, gas or not, because the blower and controls need electricity to run. In New Mexico, 13% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. A furnace that will not restart after an outage often has a problem the power cut only exposed.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 17°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 59%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 129 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $90 a year off heating for a typical Colfax County home.
Estimates for a typical Colfax County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New Mexico 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.
New Mexico requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Division tests contractors before they can hold this license, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the same license covers the next furnace they work on, not just this one.
For a gas furnace repair, the license is what stands behind the work. Gas connections are the part that can turn a repair into a hazard if they are done wrong, and the state's testing is what is meant to keep someone who does not know that off the job. In Colfax County, most homes, close to six in ten, heat with gas, so this is the repair the state's licensing rule was built to cover.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- The most common cause is the thermostat or the power supply, not the furnace itself. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room level, and check the breaker and the furnace switch, which looks like a regular light switch near the unit. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed or the flame sensor may be dirty, and either one will stop the furnace from starting. A furnace that won't start at all in a Raton winter needs attention fast, since nights average 17°F from December through February.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Air blowing cold usually means the burners aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter will let the fan run without heat behind it. It can also mean the furnace is in the middle of its startup cycle, since the blower often kicks on a little before the air warms up. If the air stays cold for more than a few minutes, something is keeping the burners from firing and a contractor should look at it.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is almost always the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to stay open. When it wears out or sits out of position, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure, even though the flame was there a second ago. A draft blowing across the pilot can cause the same thing, so check for any drafts near the burner compartment. This isn't something to keep relighting on your own, since it points to a part that needs replacing.