Furnace Repair in Lakeville, MN
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Dakota County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, ten degree nights
Your furnace works from October through May here, eight months of the year. On winter nights that average 10°F, it runs long and often, and the burner cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. That kind of use wears on the igniter and the heat exchanger before anything else gives out.
Dakota County has seen 37 winter storms and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across Minnesota, 13% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A furnace needs electricity to run its blower and control board, so when the power goes out, so does your heat, even with gas in the line. Most furnaces come back on their own once power returns, but if yours doesn't, that points to a problem worth having checked.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 10°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 37 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $120 a year off heating for a typical Dakota County home.
Estimates for a typical Dakota 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.
There is no state record to check here. Minnesota does not license HVAC contractors and does not register them either. No test behind the name, no file with the state. Whatever protection exists on this job comes from somewhere other than a state license number.
A furnace repair still has a part that matters most. The gas connection is where a bad repair turns dangerous, and in Dakota County it is the repair most homes will need, since 79.2% of them heat with gas. Minnesota has no state inspector standing behind that connection the way a license system would provide. Whatever check happens on this repair comes from the contractor doing the work correctly, not from a state record of who they are.
Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most of the time the thermostat is asking for heat but the furnace isn't getting the signal, or a safety switch has shut it down. Check that the thermostat is set above room temperature and has power, and check the furnace switch and breaker. A dirty filter can also trip a safety limit and stop the furnace cold, so look at that before anything else. If the basics check out and it still won't fire, a contractor needs to test the switches and controls to find what's stopping it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- A furnace blows air before it burns gas, so a few seconds of cool air at startup is normal. If it runs on and on without ever warming up, the burners aren't lighting or the flame is going out right after it starts. This can come from a dirty flame sensor, a clogged filter, or an igniter that's failing. With lows around 10°F here, a furnace stuck on cold air needs a look soon.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer hold the gas valve open. A draft blowing across the pilot or a buildup of soot on the tip can also put it out. If you relight it and it goes out again within a minute or two, that points to the thermocouple. This is a repair for a contractor, since it means working on the gas valve itself.