Furnace Repair in Hardin, MT
Furnaces here run from September through June. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Big Horn County will get in touch.
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Ten months of heat puts a lot of hours on your furnace
Hardin homes need heat from September through June. That is ten months a year the burner is cycling on and off, and on nights that average 14 degrees, it runs long and hard to keep up. Every start puts wear on the igniter and the parts that control the burner, and after enough winters one of them stops working when you need it most.
Big Horn County has logged 84 winter storms and 91 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 18% of households lost power for a day or more in 2024. A furnace that loses power mid-cycle has to restart cold, and if a storm knocks it out on one of those 14 degree nights, you will know fast.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 14°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 84 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $80 a year off heating for a typical Big Horn County home.
Estimates for a typical Big Horn County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Montana 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.
Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Montana licenses HVAC contractors through the Department of Labor and Industry. The state tests the contractor and keeps a record of who holds a license. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so the same license covers this repair and the next one they take on. Montana does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $2,500 does not need a licensed contractor, and a furnace repair can land on either side of that line depending on what is actually wrong.
When the job does call for a licensed contractor, that license is what stands behind the work. In Big Horn County, 36.9% of homes heat with gas, and a furnace repair on one of them means someone is working on a gas-fired appliance. That is the kind of job Montana's licensing exists to cover.
Source: Montana Legislature
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the setpoint is above room temperature, and check the batteries if it has any. If the thermostat looks fine, check the furnace switch, usually a light switch near the unit, and the breaker for the furnace. A furnace that still won't respond after that has an ignition or control problem inside, and with winter lows here averaging 14°F, that's not something to leave for long. A licensed contractor can find out what's stopping it.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often the blower is running before the burners have caught up, which is normal for the first minute or so after a call for heat. If cold air keeps coming for longer than that, the igniter or flame sensor may be failing to light the burners at all, so the blower runs with nothing to heat. A dirty air filter can also make the air feel cooler than it should, since it limits how much air moves across the heat exchanger. If the air stays cold, a contractor should check the ignition system directly.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit usually points to the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out or sits out of position, the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. A draft blowing across the pilot or a clogged pilot orifice can cause the same thing. Since a standing pilot runs without any electricity, this isn't a power problem, and it needs a contractor to check the thermocouple and the pilot assembly.