Furnace Repair in Spokane, WA
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Spokane County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat puts real hours on your furnace
In Spokane County your furnace runs from September through June. That leaves barely two months where it sits idle. Winter nights average 24°F from December through February, so on the coldest stretches the burner is cycling on and off most of the night to keep up.
All that cycling wears on the igniter and the flame sensor first. Those are the parts that fail quietest, so you notice it as a furnace that takes a few tries to start, or one that starts fine and then shuts itself off a few minutes later. Storms in this area also bring wind and power loss, and nearly a quarter of Washington households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. When the power drops and comes back, a gas furnace should restart on its own, but if yours does not, that is worth a call before you assume the worst.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 24°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 527 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $110 a year off heating for a typical Spokane County home.
Estimates for a typical Spokane County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Washington 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.
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
Registration puts the business on file with the Department of Labor and Industries. There is no trade exam behind it and no state license. It tells you the business exists on paper, not that anyone tested its gas or furnace work.
For a furnace repair, that record is what Washington gives you. There is no state license to check instead. Gas connections and venting are the part of this job that can hurt someone if they are done wrong, and registration does not test a contractor's skill at either one. Close to half the homes in Spokane County heat with gas, so this is a common repair here, and the state's role in it stops at the paperwork.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way it should, or power isn't reaching the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set above 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 at fault, and that's a job for a contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Cold air from the vents usually means the blower is running but the burners aren't lighting. That points to a dirty flame sensor, a failing igniter, or a gas supply problem. Check your air filter first since a clogged one can cause the furnace to shut the burners down as a safety measure while the blower keeps running. If the filter is clean and you're still getting cold air, the ignition system needs a contractor's look.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out. That's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep the gas flowing. When it fails, the valve shuts off the gas as a safety measure even though the pilot lit fine a moment earlier. Newer furnaces don't use a standing pilot at all, so if yours does, it's worth having a contractor check the thermocouple and the pilot assembly together.