Furnace Repair in Alexandria, MN
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Douglas County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, nights near 5 below
Your furnace in Alexandria works from September through May. That is nine months of the year it has to fire every time the house calls for heat, and on winter nights that average 5°F, it runs long and often to keep up. All those cycles wear on the igniter and the flame sensor, the parts that start the burner and confirm it lit. When one of them fails, the furnace tries to start and can't, and the house goes cold on the coldest nights of the year, which is exactly when you notice.
Douglas County has seen 27 winter storms and 44 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Storms like that knock out power, and across Minnesota 13% of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. A gas furnace, and 39.3% of homes here heat with gas, still needs electricity to run its blower and controls. When the power comes back, most furnaces restart on their own, but if yours doesn't, that is worth a call.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 5°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 27 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $140 a year off heating for a typical Douglas County home.
Estimates for a typical Douglas County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Minnesota 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.
Minnesota has no state license for HVAC contractors.
Minnesota does not keep a state record for this trade. No test, no license number, no registration filed anywhere for a contractor doing furnace work in a home.
For a gas furnace, the part that matters most is the gas connection itself, since that is where a mistake turns dangerous. With no state license board over this trade, there is no state inspector checking that connection either. In Douglas County, where 39.3% of homes heat with gas, that is the piece of this job with no state check standing behind it.
Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, since a setting bumped by accident is the simplest cause. If that's not it, check the breaker and the furnace's own power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. Many furnaces also have a door safety switch that keeps the furnace off if the front panel isn't seated right. If power and settings check out and it still won't fire, the igniter or a safety sensor is likely at fault, and that calls for a contractor to test.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If the air has been cold for a few minutes after the furnace starts, that's normal. The blower runs before the burners fully heat the air. If it stays cold, check the thermostat fan setting. Set to 'on', the blower runs constantly, even between heating cycles, and that feels like cold air blowing. If the fan is set to 'auto' and you're still getting cold air, the burners may not be igniting even though the blower runs, which is a job for a contractor to check.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. Once it wears out, it can't hold that signal, and the valve shuts the gas back off even though the pilot lit fine a moment ago. A draft blowing out the pilot is possible too, but if it happens every time, the thermocouple is the more likely cause. Replacing it is a straightforward job for a contractor.