Furnace Repair in Cincinnati, OH
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hamilton County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of work take a toll on your furnace
From October through April your furnace is the thing standing between your house and a 25°F night. That means the burner is cycling on and off for seven straight months, and every start puts wear on the igniter and the parts that get the flame going. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all, and you'll notice the air coming out cold or not coming out.
Hamilton County has seen 16 winter storms and 169 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Wind like that can knock out power, and a furnace with an electronic ignition won't run without it. Statewide, 18% of Ohio households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. If your furnace runs on gas, like most homes here do, the gas still needs electricity to start and control it.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 60%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 16 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $140 a year off heating for a typical Hamilton County home.
Estimates for a typical Hamilton County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Ohio 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.
In Ohio, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the counties.
Whether a contractor needs a license for this job depends on Hamilton County's own rules, not the state's. Ohio does define what a home contractor is, and that definition includes carrying at least $250,000 in liability insurance, but that is a floor for the definition, not a license or a test the state has put anyone through.
Because the state leaves this to the county, there is no state record standing behind the repair. What matters most here is the gas line itself, since a bad connection on a furnace is the dangerous part of the work. In Hamilton County, 60% of homes heat with gas, so that connection is a routine part of the job for whoever does the repair, not a rare one.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat and the setpoint is above room temperature, since a low battery or a setting bumped to cool will stop the furnace before it starts. Next check the power switch on or near the furnace and the breaker for it, since either one being off will keep it dead quiet. If those are fine, check the air filter. A filter packed with dust can make the furnace shut itself off before it puts out heat, and with 7 months of heating season here, filters clog faster than most people expect. If none of that gets it going, the igniter or the flame sensor is a likely reason, and that's a job for a contractor to check.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often this means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit. Check that the thermostat fan setting is on auto, not on, since on keeps air moving even when the furnace isn't heating it. If the fan is set right and you're still getting cold air, the igniter or flame sensor may be failing to start the burners at all. A dirty filter can also cause the furnace to overheat and shut the burners off while the blower keeps running. With winter nights here averaging 25°F, cold air coming through the vents for more than a few minutes is worth calling a contractor about.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually comes down to the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out or sits out of position, it reads the flame as out and shuts the gas valve even though the pilot is lit. A draft blowing across the pilot can also snuff it out, so check that the area around the furnace isn't pulling in outside air. If you relight it and it goes out again within a minute or two, the thermocouple is the likely cause and a contractor can replace it. Newer furnaces mostly use electronic ignition instead of a standing pilot, so this points to an older unit.