Furnace Repair in Kearney, NE
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Buffalo County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, and nights near 16°F
Kearney needs a working furnace from October through May. That is eight months of the year the burner has to light every time the thermostat calls for it, and on the coldest nights, when the temperature drops to 16°F, it calls for it often. Every one of those cycles puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, the parts that have to work correctly each time or the burner will not light at all.
More than half the homes here heat with gas, so when the power goes out, the furnace stops even though the fuel is still there, because the blower and the control board need electricity to run. Buffalo County has seen 21 winter storms and 132 damaging wind events over the past ten years, the kind of weather that knocks out power along with the cold. If your furnace will not start after the lights come back on, that is often the first thing worth checking.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 53%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 21 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $100 a year off heating for a typical Buffalo County home.
Estimates for a typical Buffalo County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Nebraska 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.
Nebraska requires contractors to register with the state.
The registration puts the business on file with the Department of Labor. It does not mean anyone tested the contractor's gas or furnace work, because there is no trade exam behind it. It is a record that the business exists and is registered to operate, nothing more.
For a furnace repair, that registration is not what stands behind the work. The gas connection is the part that matters most, since a bad one is a safety issue, not just a performance one. More than half the homes in Buffalo County heat with gas, so that connection is a routine part of furnace repair here.
Source: Nebraska Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most of the time it's the thermostat, the power supply, or the igniter. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the breaker and the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed, and that's a part a contractor has to replace. With lows around 16°F here, it's worth getting looked at the same day rather than waiting.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- It's usually the furnace still running its fan after the burners have shut off, which is normal for a few minutes. If cold air keeps blowing well past that, the burners may not be igniting at all, or the furnace could be overheating and shutting down its heat cycle while the fan keeps running. A dirty filter can cause that kind of overheating, so check it first. If the air stays cold, a contractor will need to find out why the burners aren't staying lit.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the most common cause. It's a small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning, and once it wears out or sits out of position, the valve shuts the gas off even though the pilot lit a moment ago. A draft near the pilot or a dirty pilot opening can also blow it out or choke the flame. This isn't something to keep relighting on your own, since it points to a part that needs replacing.