Furnace Repair in Glennallen, AK
If your furnace quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Copper River Census Area will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your furnace never really gets a break here
In Glennallen your furnace runs all year, not just through the winter. On nights that average 9 below zero from December through February, the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch to keep up. Most homes here burn fuel oil, and that means the nozzle and the igniter are doing the work over and over, night after night, with no long stretch of mild weather to rest.
A fifth of Alaska households lost power for a full day or more last year. When that happens, an oil furnace with an igniter and a blower motor needs that power to start back up, so a outage means no heat until it's restored. With your furnace running this much, a worn igniter or a clogged nozzle tends to show up as short cycling or a burner that won't light at all, right when you need it most.
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
Alaska requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the state, its name, its address, who owns it. Nobody tests the contractor's furnace work to get that record. It tells you the business is real and on the books, not that the state has judged their work.
A furnace runs on gas, and a bad connection or a cracked heat exchanger is the real danger in this repair. Alaska's registration does not check for that. There is no state license behind this job and no trade exam standing between the reader and the person doing the work.
Source: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or power to the furnace has been interrupted. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature. Check the breaker too, and if you heat with fuel oil, check that the tank isn't empty. If none of that explains it, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may have failed, and that needs a contractor to look at it. With winter nights here running around -9°F, a furnace that won't start isn't something to leave for long.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- The blower is running before the burner has actually lit, or the burner isn't lighting at all. A furnace normally blows a few seconds of cool air at the start of a cycle while the heat exchanger warms up, but if that's all you're getting, the igniter or the flame sensor likely isn't doing its job. It can also mean the furnace is stuck in fan-only mode at the thermostat. Either way, a contractor will need to check the ignition system to find the actual cause.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit usually means the thermocouple has worn out and isn't sensing the flame properly, so the gas valve shuts it off. A draft blowing across the pilot, or a dirty pilot orifice, can also cause it. A standing pilot doesn't use electricity, so a power outage isn't the cause here. This is a repair for a contractor, since it involves the gas valve and flame sensing parts.