Furnace Repair in Fallon, NV
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Churchill County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, on nights near 22 degrees
Fallon needs furnace heat from October through May, eight months of the burner cycling on and off to hold the house against winter lows that average 22°F from December through February. Every one of those starts puts a small load on the igniter and the flame sensor, the parts that light the burner and confirm it lit.
More than half the homes here heat with gas, so when one of those parts finally wears out, the house goes cold and stays cold until it's fixed. Churchill County has seen 51 damaging wind events and 10 winter storms over the past ten years, and storms like that can knock out power. In Nevada, 13% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A gas furnace needs electricity to run its blower and controls, so an outage on a cold night leaves the house without heat even if nothing inside the furnace is broken.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 55%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 10 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $120 a year off heating for a typical Churchill County home.
Estimates for a typical Churchill County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Nevada 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.
Nevada requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Nevada State Contractors Board tests contractors before they get that license, then keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a furnace also qualifies them to repair one.
On a gas furnace, the connection to the gas line is the part that has to be right, and in Nevada that contractor's license is what stands behind the work. Just over half the homes in Churchill County heat with gas, so this is not a rare repair here.
Sources: Nevada Legislature · Nevada State Contractors Board
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way it should, 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 at your panel. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may have failed, and that needs a contractor to test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The blower may be running before the burners have actually lit, which happens for a short stretch on startup and is normal. If cold air keeps coming for more than a few minutes, the igniter or flame sensor likely isn't lighting the burners at all, so the blower runs with nothing to heat. A dirty filter can also choke airflow enough to trip a safety limit and shut the burners off while the fan keeps going. With nights here averaging 22°F, this isn't something to leave for long. A contractor can check the igniter, sensor, and filter to find which one is causing it.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer hold the gas valve open once you let go. It can also mean a draft is blowing the flame out, or the pilot orifice is partly clogged with dirt. A weak or dirty thermocouple is the most common cause and it's a straightforward part for a contractor to replace. With most homes here heating on gas, getting this fixed before a cold stretch matters more than waiting it out.