Furnace Repair in Sisseton, SD
Furnaces here run from September through May. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Roberts County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, six below freezing
Your furnace runs from September through May in Sisseton. That is nine months of the year it has to work, and on winter nights that average 6°F, it runs long and hard to keep up. The burner cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the parts that control the flame.
Roberts County has seen 54 winter storms and 115 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Wind that strong can blow out a pilot light or push cold air back through the flue, and a furnace already worn from months of steady use is the one that gives out when a storm hits. Almost half the homes here heat with propane, and a propane furnace that will not light on a night this cold means the house is losing ground fast.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 6°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 54 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $220 a year off heating for a typical Roberts County home.
Estimates for a typical Roberts County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, South Dakota 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.
In South Dakota, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the cities and towns.
South Dakota does not run a state HVAC license. The rule is left to cities and towns, so whether a contractor needs a local license depends on where the house sits. There is no statewide test or record to check, only whatever the local government where you live has set up on its own.
A furnace repair means someone is working on a gas connection, and a loose or bad one is the dangerous part of the job. Without a state license behind the work, whatever oversight exists on a repair like this comes from the city or town, not from South Dakota.
Source: South Dakota Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat the way it should, or power to the furnace has been interrupted. Check that the thermostat is set below room temperature and has working batteries if it uses them. Next check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker at your panel. If those are fine, the igniter or a safety switch inside the furnace may have failed, and that calls for a contractor to test it. With winter lows here averaging 6°F, a furnace that won't start needs attention fast.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it's not warm, the furnace may be running the blower without the burners lighting. That points to an ignition problem or a safety switch shutting the burners down while the fan still runs. It can also mean the thermostat fan setting is on "on" instead of "auto", which pushes air through the vents even when the furnace isn't heating. If the fan setting is right and the air still isn't warming up, a contractor needs to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the flame is burning. When it wears out or sits out of position, it shuts the gas off even though the pilot lit fine a moment ago. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot opening can cause the same thing. Either way it's a repair for a contractor, since it involves the gas valve. With close to half the homes here heating with propane, getting this fixed before a cold stretch matters.