Furnace Repair in Rio Rancho, NM
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Sandoval County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat puts real wear on your furnace
Your furnace works from October through May here, eight months of the year. On winter nights that average 19°F, it runs long stretches to keep up, and the burner cycles on and off for hours at a time. Each cycle puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, the parts that light the burner and confirm it caught.
Most homes in Rio Rancho heat with gas, so when the igniter finally gives out, the blower still runs but no heat comes through the vents. Sandoval County sees its share of winter storms and wind events, and either can knock out power during a cold snap. Most furnaces restart on their own once power returns. If yours does not, that is worth a call.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 75%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 134 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $80 a year off heating for a typical Sandoval County home.
Estimates for a typical Sandoval 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 license comes from the state's Construction Industries Division, and it covers the contractor rather than any single job. That contractor was tested and is on record with the state, and that record follows them from one furnace to the next, not just this one.
For a furnace repair, that matters because gas is part of the job, and a bad connection is the dangerous part of it. In Sandoval County, 75% of homes heat with gas, so this kind of repair comes up often here. The license is what stands behind the person doing that work, tested by the state before they ever open up your furnace.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, and check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts it off for service and gets bumped off by accident. Gas furnaces also need the pilot lit or the igniter working, so if you smell no gas and hear no ignition sound, that's likely where the problem is. A furnace that still won't start after that needs a contractor to look at it, especially with 19°F winter nights here.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Check the thermostat fan setting first. If it's set to "on" instead of "auto", the blower runs constantly and pushes cold air between heating cycles, which feels like the furnace isn't heating at all. If the fan is set to auto and you're still getting cold air, the furnace may not be igniting the gas even though the blower runs, which points to a problem with the igniter or the flame sensor. A dirty filter can also cause the furnace to overheat and shut off the burner while the blower keeps running. With heat needed here from October through May, get this checked before a cold stretch rather than during one.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the furnace gas is actually burning. When it wears out or sits out of position, it shuts off the gas valve even though the flame is lit, because it can't confirm the flame is there. Wind drafts near the furnace or a dirty pilot orifice can also blow the flame out or starve it. This isn't something to keep relighting on your own, since it means the safety system isn't reading the flame correctly, and a contractor should check the thermocouple and the gas valve.