Furnace Repair in Toledo, OH
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lucas County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat takes a toll on a Toledo furnace
Your furnace works from October through May here, eight months of the year. On nights that average 22°F, it is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch to keep the house warm. Every start puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, and over enough winters one of them gives out.
Most furnaces in Toledo run on gas, and gas furnaces need power to run the blower and controls even though the burner itself does not. Lucas County sees its share of winter storms and wind, and when the power drops mid-storm, a gas furnace stops putting out heat right along with everything electric in the house.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 75%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 8 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $160 a year off heating for a typical Lucas County home.
Estimates for a typical Lucas 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.
Ohio does not test or license HVAC contractors at the state level. Whatever protection exists comes from Lucas County, since the rule depends on the county rather than the state. Ohio's definition of a home contractor calls for at least $250,000 in liability insurance, but that is a definition written into state law, not a license or a test anyone has to pass.
For a furnace repair, the part that matters most is the gas connection, since a bad one is what makes the job dangerous. Whether that connection gets checked comes down to whatever inspection Lucas County requires for this kind of repair, not a state license, because Ohio does not issue one. Most homes in Lucas County heat with gas, so this is the kind of repair local inspection is built around.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and put in a fresh battery if it takes one. If the thermostat looks fine, check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and make sure the filter isn't so clogged it's shutting the system down. A furnace that still won't start after that has an ignition or electrical problem a contractor needs to look at.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most of the time this means the blower is running before the burners have caught up, which is normal for the first minute or so after startup. If cold air keeps coming for longer than that, check your thermostat fan setting. Set to "on," the fan runs constantly, including between heating cycles, which feels like cold air. Set it to "auto" instead, so it only runs while the furnace is actually heating. If it's already on auto and you're still getting cold air, the igniter or the gas valve may not be working, and that calls for a contractor.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually comes down to the thermocouple, the small part that senses the pilot flame and keeps gas flowing to it. When it wears out or sits out of position, it reads the flame as out even when it isn't, and shuts the gas off. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can also put it out. Relighting it yourself follows the instructions on the furnace, but if it won't stay lit after that, the thermocouple likely needs replacing, and that's a job for a licensed contractor.