Furnace Repair in Mankato, MN
Furnaces here run from October through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Blue Earth County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, ten degree nights
Your furnace runs from October through May here, eight months a year. On a winter night that averages 10°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every start puts a load on the igniter and the parts that get the burner going. That kind of use wears an igniter faster than a mild winter ever would, and when it finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all.
Blue Earth County has logged 36 winter storms and 50 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 13% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. A furnace with a standing pilot will relight itself once power is back, but most newer furnaces need their control board to reset and won't restart on their own. If the house is cold and the thermostat is dark, that is usually why.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 10°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 65%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 36 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 Blue Earth County home.
Estimates for a typical Blue Earth 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 license and no state registration behind the name on the truck. Minnesota does not test HVAC contractors, does not record who is qualified, and does not keep a state file to check someone against. Whatever the contractor knows about furnaces, they learned it on the job or from a manufacturer, not from a state exam.
A furnace burns gas, and a bad connection is the dangerous part of this job, so there is no license standing behind that work here. 64.7% of homes in Blue Earth County heat with gas, so this is not a rare case in this county.
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 set above room temperature, and check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts the furnace off for service and gets bumped or left off by accident. Many furnaces also need the filter changed before they'll run, since a clogged filter can trip a safety switch that shuts the whole system down. If all of that checks out and the furnace still won't start, a contractor can test the igniter, the flame sensor, and the control board to find where the problem is.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often the furnace is still warming up and hasn't reached temperature yet, so the blower is running air that hasn't been heated. If cold air keeps coming after a few minutes, check the thermostat is set to heat, not just fan. A dirty filter can also cause this, since restricted airflow makes the furnace shut its burners off as a safety measure while the blower keeps running. With nights here averaging 10°F in the winter, a furnace that isn't heating properly needs attention quickly, and a contractor can check the igniter, the flame sensor, and the heat exchanger to find the cause.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out and is no longer sensing that the flame is lit, so the gas valve shuts off as a safety measure. It can also mean a draft is blowing the pilot out, or the pilot orifice is partly clogged and the flame isn't making good contact with the thermocouple. Most newer furnaces don't use a standing pilot at all, they use an electronic igniter instead, so if your furnace is older this is a common repair. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if it's the cause, since it isn't something to keep relighting on your own with a gas furnace.