Furnace Repair in Scranton, PA
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lackawanna County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat a year wears a furnace down
Scranton needs furnace heat from September through May, nine months of the year. On winter nights that average 19°F, the burner lights and shuts off again and again to keep the house warm. Each start puts wear on the igniter and the parts around it.
Most homes here heat with gas, and a furnace firing this often will eventually show it. The burner takes longer to catch, or it clicks and does not light at all. Lackawanna County has also logged 16 winter storms and 127 damaging wind events over the past ten years. When the power goes out with them, the furnace stops until it comes back on.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 64%
- 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 $180 a year off heating for a typical Lackawanna County home.
Estimates for a typical Lackawanna County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Nobody tested the contractor's work to get that number, and the state isn't vouching for how the job gets done. It just means there's a record of who they are and where to find them. Cities and towns in Pennsylvania can't layer their own license on top of this, so that registration is the only state-level record that exists here, no matter what part of Lackawanna County you're in.
On a furnace repair, the part that matters most is the gas connection, since that's where a mistake turns dangerous. Registration doesn't cover that, and nothing in the state's rule speaks to who checks a gas hookup or a flue. With nearly two thirds of homes in this county heating with gas, that gap is worth knowing about before someone opens up the burner compartment.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way it should, or the furnace isn't getting power. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has fresh batteries if it uses them. Next, look at the furnace switch, it looks like a light switch, on or near the unit, and make sure the breaker hasn't tripped. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch may be at fault, and that calls for a contractor to check it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Air can feel cold for a few minutes after the furnace starts, since it takes a moment to warm up. If it stays cold, check that the thermostat fan setting is on auto, not on, since running the fan alone just moves room air. A dirty filter can also block enough airflow to keep the burner from firing right, so check that too. If the air stays cold after that, the igniter or gas valve likely needs a contractor's attention.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit usually points to the thermocouple, the small part that senses the flame and keeps gas flowing to it. When it wears out or sits out of position, it shuts the gas off even though the pilot is burning. Drafts near the furnace can also blow the flame out, so check for anything nearby pushing air across it. Relighting it yourself is fine to try once, but if it goes out again, have a contractor look at the thermocouple.