Furnace Repair in Ashland, VA
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hanover County will get in touch.
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Ashland asks a lot of a furnace
Your furnace has to run October through April here, seven months of the year. On winter nights that average 28°F, it cycles on and off many times to hold the house steady, and every cycle means the igniter has to fire again and the blower has to start again. That wear adds up over a Hanover County winter.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so when the power goes out, the furnace stops with it. That matters in this area. Hanover County has seen 23 winter storms and 84 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024, 22% of Virginia households lost power for 24 hours or more. When the power comes back, some furnaces need a reset before they will light again.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 23 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Board for Contractors issues that license and keeps the record on the contractor, not on each job. For a furnace repair, the dollar figure matters more than that distinction. Virginia does not require a licensed contractor for work under $1,000, so a small repair, a part or a control swap, can legally go to someone unlicensed if it falls under that line.
Above that threshold, the license is what stands behind the work. A furnace burns gas, and the gas connection is the part of the job where a mistake is dangerous, not just costly. Whether that connection was done right is what the Board for Contractors license is tied to once the job clears the $1,000 line.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is above the room reading, and see if the display is blank, which points to a dead battery or a tripped breaker. If the thermostat looks fine, check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, and the breaker at your electrical panel. Some furnaces also stop and show a blinking light on the control board when the filter is too dirty or a safety switch has tripped, so a licensed contractor will need to check the board and the switches to find out which one.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- If air is moving but it's not warm, the burners may not be lighting even though the blower is running. That happens when the igniter is worn out, the flame sensor is dirty, or gas isn't reaching the burners. It can also mean the thermostat fan is set to on instead of auto, which runs the blower even when the furnace isn't heating. A licensed contractor can check the igniter, the flame sensor and the gas valve to find which one is stopping ignition.
- 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. That's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep gas flowing. When it wears out or sits out of position, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure, and the flame goes out. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot opening can cause the same thing, so a licensed contractor will check the thermocouple and the pilot assembly to find the cause.