Furnace Repair in Poteau, OK
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Le Flore County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Seven months of heat, and a grid that doesn't always hold
Poteau homes run the furnace October through April, seven months of the year. On winter nights that average 31°F, the furnace is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch, and every start puts wear on the igniter.
55.6% of homes here heat with electricity, so when the power goes, the heat goes with it. Statewide, a quarter of households lost power for at least a day in 2024, and Le Flore County has seen 12 winter storms and 96 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A furnace that stays dark after the power comes back on has more than a tripped breaker wrong with it.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 31°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 12 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Oklahoma requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Board is the state agency that tests and licenses HVAC contractors in Oklahoma. Passing that license means the contractor has been tested on the trade and is on record with the state. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers them across every furnace repair they take on rather than being issued fresh each time.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your gas connections and burner. A furnace that is not burning gas cleanly is dangerous in the house, and the state's testing is aimed at exactly that kind of work. In Oklahoma, that state license is the credential doing the job.
Source: Oklahoma State Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Most often the thermostat isn't calling for heat, or the furnace isn't getting power. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the breaker and the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit. If those are fine, the igniter may have failed, or a safety switch has shut the furnace down because of a clogged filter or a blocked vent. A furnace with a standing pilot won't run on electricity at all, so a power outage won't stop it, but one with an electronic igniter needs power to start every cycle.
- 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 lit. That happens when the igniter or flame sensor has failed, or when the gas valve isn't opening. It can also mean the furnace is in the middle of its startup cycle, when the blower runs a few seconds before the burners fire, so cold air for a short moment is normal. If it stays cold the whole time the furnace runs, it needs a contractor to look at the ignition system.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit usually points to the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the flame is burning. If it's dirty, misaligned, or worn out, it reads no flame even when there is one, and shuts the gas off. A draft blowing across the pilot or a partly clogged pilot opening can also put it out. Relighting it yourself following the label on the furnace is fine to try once, but if it keeps going out, the thermocouple or the gas valve needs a contractor's attention.