Furnace Repair in Oak Hill, WV
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Fayette County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, and power that doesn't always stay on
In Oak Hill, furnaces run from October through May. That is eight months of the burner cycling on and off, night after night, with winter lows averaging 25°F. Every start puts a load on the igniter and the parts that get the burner lit. Over enough winters, that part wears out and the furnace stops lighting at all.
Fayette County also sees its share of winter storms and high wind, nineteen winter storms and seventy three damaging wind events over the last ten years. Statewide, more than a third of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. When the power drops and comes back, a furnace with electronic ignition needs that power to relight. If it doesn't come back on, that's worth checking before you assume the worst.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 19 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.
West Virginia tests contractors before they get this license, and the Commissioner of Labor keeps the record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers the person or company coming to your house, not just the furnace repair itself.
For a furnace repair, that means the person working on your gas line and burner assembly has already been checked by the state before they ever get to your door. Gas work is the part that goes wrong if it's done carelessly, and in West Virginia the license is what stands behind the person doing it.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often it's the thermostat, the power supply, or the ignition system. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the batteries are good. Next check the breaker, since a tripped one will shut the whole system down. If power and settings look fine, the igniter or a safety switch may be at fault, and that calls for a contractor to test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- It usually means the burners aren't lighting even though the blower is running. A dirty flame sensor is a common cause, since it will shut off the gas valve as a safety measure. A clogged filter can also make the air feel cool by cutting down the airflow across the heat exchanger. If the thermostat fan is set to on instead of auto, you will also feel air between heating cycles, which is normal.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A weak or dirty thermocouple is the usual reason, since its job is to sense the flame and keep the gas valve open. Drafts near the burner compartment can also blow the pilot out. If it relights and goes out again and again, a contractor can clean or replace the thermocouple.