Furnace Repair in Baltimore, MD
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Baltimore will get in touch.
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Baltimore asks a lot of a furnace
Your furnace works from October through April here, seven months of the year. On nights that average 28°F through the coldest stretch of winter, it is cycling on and off most of the night to hold the house steady. Each start puts the load on the igniter and the burner assembly, and over enough cold nights those are the parts that wear out first.
Most homes here heat with gas, so that furnace has to keep running through real winter storms. This area has seen 13 of them over the past ten years, along with 45 damaging wind events. When the power goes out with the storm, the furnace stops even if the gas is still on, since the blower and control board both need electricity. In 2024, 11% of Maryland households went at least 24 hours without power, long enough for a house to go cold.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 62%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 13 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 Baltimore home.
Estimates for a typical Baltimore home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Maryland 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.
Maryland requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state tested this contractor before handing out that license, and the board keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so it does not expire when your furnace repair is finished.
Most furnaces in Baltimore run on gas, and a gas connection is the part of this job where a mistake actually hurts someone. The license is what stands behind the person making that connection, tested and on record with the state before they ever touch your furnace.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- The most common reason is the thermostat is not calling for heat, either because of a dead battery or a setting that got bumped. Check that it's set to heat and a few degrees above room temperature. If that's fine, look at the furnace switch, the one that looks like a light switch near the unit, and make sure it wasn't turned off. A tripped breaker or a closed gas valve will also stop it cold. If power and gas are both getting to the furnace and it still won't start, a licensed contractor will need to check the igniter or the control board.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most of the time this means the blower is running but the burners haven't lit. Start by checking the air filter. A filter clogged enough can sometimes cause the system to shut down the burners while the fan keeps moving air. If the filter looks fine, the igniter or flame sensor may be failing, and the furnace is going through its cycle without ever lighting. A furnace blowing cold air for more than a few minutes at startup, rather than just during the first moments of a cycle, needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- This usually points to the thermocouple, the small part that senses the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to stay open. When it wears out or sits out of position, the gas valve shuts off the pilot supply even though the flame is lit. A draft blowing out the pilot is possible too, so check for airflow near the burner compartment. If the flame lights and holds while you hold the pilot button but goes out once you let go, that's the thermocouple, and it's a job for a licensed contractor to replace.