Furnace Repair in Kansas City, MO
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Jackson County will get in touch.
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Seven months of Jackson County winter wears on a furnace
Your furnace works October through April here, seven months of the year. On nights that average 23°F, it is not idling, it is cycling on and off for hours, and every start puts a load on the igniter and the burner assembly.
Jackson County has also logged 10 winter storms and 212 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and 19% of Missouri households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. A furnace that comes back on after an outage still needs its igniter, its blower motor, and its safety switches all working, and a long cold snap is when a weak one finally quits.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 70%
- 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 $200 a year off heating for a typical Jackson County home.
Estimates for a typical Jackson County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Missouri 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.
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most likely 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, the one that 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 be the problem, and that's a job for a contractor to test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Cold air at the start of a cycle is normal. Your furnace pushes air through the ducts before the heat exchanger warms up, so the first minute or so can feel cool. If the air stays cold the whole time it's running, the igniter may be failing to light the burners, or the flame sensor is telling the system to shut off the gas after a failed attempt. A furnace that runs but never actually fires needs a contractor to check it before you're left without heat on a night near 23°F.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- Most furnaces built in the last couple decades use an electronic igniter instead of a standing pilot, so if yours has a pilot light, it's likely an older unit. A pilot that won't stay lit is usually a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve a flame is present. When it wears out it can't confirm the flame anymore, so the gas valve shuts off as a safety measure. A draft blowing across the pilot can also blow it out, but if it keeps happening, have a contractor replace the thermocouple.