Furnace Repair in Portland, ME
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Cumberland County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, and power that doesn't always stay on
Homes here need heat from September through May, 9 months a year. On winter nights averaging 15°F, the furnace cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle puts a little more wear on the igniter and the flame sensor. Almost half the homes in the county heat with fuel oil, which means the burner, the nozzle, and the ignition system are doing that work night after night for most of the year.
Maine sees its share of winter storms and wind. Over the past ten years the state has recorded 115 winter storms and 145 damaging wind events, and in 2024 more than half of Maine households lost power for a full day or longer. A furnace with no power will not fire no matter what condition it is in, and when the power comes back on, that is often when a weak igniter or a tripped limit switch finally shows itself.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 115 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above room level, and change the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker and the furnace's own power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit and gets bumped off more often than people expect. A furnace that won't start can also mean a clogged filter or a safety switch tripped from something blocking airflow. If power and airflow both check out, the igniter or the control board likely need a contractor's attention.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often the furnace is running the fan without the burners lit. Check the thermostat fan setting. If it's set to "on" instead of "auto", the blower runs constantly and pushes air that isn't being heated between cycles. If it's already on "auto" and you're still getting cold air, the igniter may have failed or the gas supply may be interrupted, and the furnace needs a contractor to look at it. With homes here needing heat nine months of the year, it's worth checking the fan setting first since that fix takes a minute and costs nothing.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit usually means the thermocouple has failed or is out of position. The thermocouple is the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep the gas flowing. When it wears out or drifts away from the flame, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure, even though the pilot was burning a second ago. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot opening can cause the same symptom, so a contractor will check the thermocouple, the flame itself and the opening before replacing any part.