Furnace Repair in Hurricane, WV
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Putnam County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of work, on a grid that doesn't always hold
Your furnace in Hurricane runs from October through April, seven months of lighting the burner and cycling the blower on nights that average 27°F. Each start puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, and after enough winters one of them gives out. The furnace won't light, or it lights and shuts right back off.
Most homes here heat with electricity, and the power doesn't always stay on through a winter storm. More than a third of West Virginia households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. When power drops on a cold night, a furnace that was already struggling to light often won't start back up on its own once it returns.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 27°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 16 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the Commissioner of Labor's office and belongs to the contractor's business, not to any single job it takes on. It covers the company across every furnace, boiler and AC unit it works on, not just the one at your house.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your gas line and burner. A bad connection is the dangerous part of this job, and in West Virginia, the license tied to the contractor's name is what accounts for the work being done right.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way you think it is, or power isn't reaching the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has fresh batteries if it uses them. Next check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker for it. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may be the problem, and that needs a contractor to check.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Air blows for a few seconds before it warms up, so short bursts of cool air are normal. If it stays cold, the furnace may be set to fan only instead of heat, so check the thermostat mode first. If the mode is right and the air still doesn't warm up, the burners aren't lighting or the igniter has failed, and a contractor will need to look at it. Winter nights here drop to around 27°F, so a furnace stuck on cold air needs attention fast.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit usually means the thermocouple has worn out. That's the small part that senses the flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to stay open. It can also mean a draft is blowing the flame out, or the pilot orifice is partly clogged. Either way this isn't something to keep relighting on your own, a contractor should check the thermocouple and the gas valve, and in West Virginia that contractor has to hold a state HVAC license.