Furnace Repair in Hickory, NC
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Catawba County will get in touch.
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Seven months of heat, and the power doesn't always stay on
Your furnace works from October through April here, seven months of the year. On winter nights averaging 31°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the flame sensor. Those are the parts most likely to fail first, and when one does, the furnace either won't light or shuts itself off partway through a cycle.
Most homes in this area heat with electricity, so when the power goes out, the heat goes with it. Catawba County has seen 9 winter storms and 66 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across North Carolina a quarter of households lost power for a day or more in 2024. When the power comes back, the furnace should start on its own, but if it doesn't, that's worth a call.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 31°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 9 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
North Carolina requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license comes from the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. It covers the contractor, not each job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a furnace is what qualifies them to repair one.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your gas line and burner. A bad gas connection is the real danger in this job, and in North Carolina it is the contractor's license that answers for the work done on it.
Sources: North Carolina General Assembly · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most of the time it comes down to the thermostat, the power supply, or a safety switch stopping it from running. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature first. If the furnace still won't respond, check the breaker and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts the furnace off and gets bumped off by accident more than people expect. When those check out, the problem is usually in the ignition system or a safety switch inside the unit, and that calls for a contractor to test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If the fan is running but no heat is coming with it, the furnace has likely shut off its burners while the blower keeps going. Gas furnaces do this as a safety step when the igniter fails to light the flame or the flame sensor doesn't detect it once lit. It can also mean the furnace is overheating and shutting down early, often because of a dirty filter restricting airflow. A clogged filter is worth checking yourself, but a burner or sensor issue needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually points 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 cause the same thing. A contractor will want to check the thermocouple and the pilot assembly together to find which one is at fault.