Furnace Repair in Waterloo, IA
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Black Hawk County will get in touch.
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Eight months of heat puts real wear on your furnace
In Waterloo, your furnace has to work from October through May. That is eight months of the year it needs to run, not just a few cold snaps. On winter nights that average 13°F, it cycles on and off over and over to hold the temperature, and every start puts a little more wear on the igniter and the burner.
With most homes here heating with gas, that burner and igniter see a lot of use before spring comes. Winter storms and wind can also knock out power, and when it comes back on, a furnace with a worn part may not restart on its own. That is when a house goes cold and someone notices the furnace is not doing its job.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 13°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 63%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 23 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 Black Hawk County home.
Estimates for a typical Black Hawk County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Iowa 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.
Iowa requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state board tests contractors before it licenses them, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it does not need to be renewed or reissued for your furnace repair specifically. It does mean the person working on your gas line has already been checked by the state before they ever showed up.
A furnace repair usually means someone is opening up a gas connection, and that connection is the part of the job that can hurt someone if it is done wrong. In Iowa that work falls under the same license the board issues, so the accountability for a bad connection traces back to that license. In Black Hawk County, 63.4% of homes heat with gas, which is exactly the kind of repair this license is meant to stand behind.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or the furnace isn't getting power or gas. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has working batteries, and check the breaker for the furnace. If those look fine, the igniter or the flame sensor may have failed, and a contractor will need to test them to know which one.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- This usually means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit, or the furnace is between heating cycles and the blower hasn't caught up yet. A dirty flame sensor is a common reason the burners won't stay lit. If the air stays cold for more than a few minutes, the furnace needs a contractor to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit usually points to a weak or failing thermocouple, the part that senses the flame and keeps the gas valve open. It can also mean a draft is blowing the flame out, or the pilot orifice is dirty. A standing pilot doesn't use electricity, so this problem happens whether or not the power is on, and a contractor can tell you which part needs replacing.