Furnace Repair in Bellingham, WA
If your furnace quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Whatcom County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your furnace runs all year here
In Bellingham your furnace does not get a season off. Homes here need heat all 12 months, so it is cycling on and off every day, not just for a stretch in the coldest weeks. On winter nights that average 27°F from December through February, it runs longer and more often to hold the house steady, and that wear adds up on the igniter and the burner.
Nearly half of homes here heat with electricity, which means the furnace depends on the power staying on. Most furnaces come back on their own once power returns, but not every one does, and that is worth knowing if yours has been quiet after an outage.
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
Registration puts a contractor's business on file with the Department of Labor and Industries. There's no trade exam behind it, so the number tells you the business is on record, not that anyone tested their knowledge of furnaces or gas lines.
For a furnace repair, the gas connection is the part that matters most, and Washington's registration doesn't test anyone on that. What it gives you is a record that the business exists and can be traced if something goes wrong. It doesn't tell you the work on your furnace was done right.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the power switch. If the thermostat screen is blank or set wrong, the furnace never gets the signal to start. Check the switch on the furnace itself, the one that looks like a light switch, and check the breaker too. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch may be the problem, and that needs a contractor to test it directly.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often this means the burners aren't lighting, so the blower is just moving room air. Check your air filter first, since a clogged one can choke the airflow and trip a safety switch that shuts the burners off while the fan keeps running. If the filter is clean and you're still getting cold air, the igniter or a gas valve issue is a likely cause, and that's a job for a contractor to diagnose.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually points to the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve a flame is present. When it wears out or sits out of position, it reads no flame even when there is one, and the valve shuts the gas off. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing. A contractor can tell which one it is and replace the part if needed.