Furnace Repair in Warwick, RI
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Kent County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat, 23 degree nights
Your furnace runs from October through May here, eight months of the year. On winter nights averaging 23°F, the burner is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch to keep up. Each cycle puts a little more wear on the igniter, and a worn one stops lighting the burner at all. That usually shows up as cold air from the vents or a furnace that clicks and never catches.
Kent County also sees its share of winter storms and wind, and 12% of Rhode Island households lost power for a day or more last year. A furnace that loses power and comes back can fail to restart or trip a limit switch, so if the heat does not come back on with the lights, that is worth checking.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 23°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 50%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 50 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $270 a year off heating for a typical Kent County home.
Estimates for a typical Kent County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Rhode Island 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.
Rhode Island requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued by the Department of Labor and Training, and it's tied to the contractor, not to the specific job. The state tested that contractor before handing it over, and it keeps a record of who holds one.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the work. If gas lines are involved, a bad connection is the dangerous part of the job, and the same licensed contractor is the one accountable for getting that right. In Kent County, just over half of homes heat with gas, so this is a common repair here.
Source: Rhode Island General Assembly
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often it's the thermostat not calling for heat, a tripped breaker, or a safety switch that's stopped the furnace from lighting. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has power. If the breaker's fine and it still won't start, the igniter or a limit switch may be at fault, and a contractor will need to check it. With lows around 23°F here through the winter, it's worth getting this looked at the same day rather than waiting.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it's not warm, the burners likely aren't lighting even though the blower is running. This can mean a bad igniter, a dirty flame sensor, or a gas supply problem. It can also mean the thermostat fan is set to "on" instead of "auto", which pushes air through even when the furnace isn't heating it. A contractor can tell which one it is once they check the burners and the controls.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple isn't sensing the flame and is shutting the gas off as a safety measure. A draft blowing out the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing. Newer furnaces use an electronic igniter instead of a standing pilot, so if yours has one, the problem is different and needs a contractor to check the ignition control board.