NV Energy
Hi, my name is Omar. I'm a Heating and Duct Cleaning technician here at Nevada Residential. As we're getting more into heating season I wanted to share some of my thoughts and observations about it. After eight years working as a technician for Nevada Residential Services and twenty-three years of total experience in the field, I've seen this pattern repeat itself every season. Late November through early December is when our dispatch team starts sending out service calls non-stop. This transitional period is when families shift from occasionally running their heat to relying on it around the clock. It acts like an annual stress test for heating systems across the Las Vegas Valley. Problems that quietly developed during the warmer months suddenly announce themselves, often at the most inconvenient times.
What makes this time of year particularly challenging is that homeowners don't discover these issues until they actually need consistent heat. A furnace that cycled on for an hour here and there in October might have masked underlying problems, but when temperatures drop into the 30s and stay there, those same systems are forced to run continuously. That's when the cracks show.
Most of these problems are preventable or at least manageable if you know what to watch for. Today I'm going to walk through the four most common issues our team at Nevada Residential Services encounters during this critical period, based on real service calls and decades of field experience.
Dirty and Clogged Air Filters
This is hands down the number one problem our technicians see, and it's almost entirely preventable. Yet homeowners consistently overlook this simple maintenance task, and it costs them dearly.
When you don't Change Air Filters regularly, your furnace has to pull air through that filter to heat it and distribute it throughout your home. When the filter becomes clogged with dust, pet hair, pollen, and general debris, it's like trying to breathe through a pillow. The blower motor has to work exponentially harder to pull air through that restriction.
First, you'll notice reduced airflow from your vents. Rooms take longer to heat, and some may never reach the set temperature. Your energy bills creep up because the system runs constantly but inefficiently. Our team has documented utility bills jumping 30-40% solely due to a clogged filter forcing the system to overwork.
But the real danger is overheating. When airflow is restricted, heat builds up inside the furnace cabinet because it can't be distributed properly. Modern furnaces have limit switches that will shut the system down to prevent damage or fire hazards, but older units might not have these safeguards. Our company has responded to emergency calls where homeowners smelled something burning. That's often the dust and debris on a furnace heat exchanger getting superheated because of airflow restriction.
During November-December, this problem intensifies. Your system transitions from intermittent to continuous operation. A filter that was marginal in October becomes completely clogged by late November. The extended runtime accelerates the buildup, and suddenly you're without heat on a 25-degree night.
My recommendation is to check your filter monthly during heating season. Plan to Change Air Filters every 1-3 months depending on your circumstances. Homes with pets, smokers, or family members with allergies should change filters monthly. Standard households can often go 60-90 days, but never longer. Don't buy the cheapest filters available. Mid-range pleated filters offer the best balance of filtration and airflow for most residential systems.
Pilot Light and Ignition Failures
This is the classic early-winter service call that comes through our dispatch. "My furnace was working fine last week, but now it won't turn on at all." Nine times out of ten, we're dealing with an ignition issue. It's particularly common after a system has sat dormant through the summer and early fall.
For older gas furnaces with standing pilot lights, the pilot flame may have gone out during the off-season. It might be burning incorrectly with a flickering or yellow flame instead of blue, or barely staying lit. Drafts from open windows during mild weather, dust accumulation on the pilot assembly, or a dirty thermocouple can all cause pilot light failures.
But here's what catches most homeowners off-guard. Even if your pilot light was working fine in October when you tested it, the increased demand in early December can expose weaknesses. A pilot that's weak or marginally functioning might keep the system going during short heating cycles, but when the furnace needs to fire repeatedly throughout the day and night, that compromised pilot starts failing.
Newer systems with electronic ignition have their own set of issues. Hot surface ignitors are fragile ceramic elements that glow red-hot to light the gas. They're designed to last 3-7 years typically, but they become brittle with age and can crack or break. The challenge is that they might work intermittently before failing completely.
During my time with Nevada Residential Services, I've pulled countless failed ignitors that look perfectly fine to the naked eye but have microscopic cracks that prevent them from heating properly. Or they might work when the furnace is cold but fail after the system heats up due to thermal expansion.
Furnace Repair for ignition issues isn't something most homeowners should attempt themselves, especially with gas appliances. The safety risks are significant. However, if you have an older furnace with a standing pilot, you can learn the relighting procedure from your owner's manual. Just remember that if you smell gas, don't attempt to light anything. Leave the area and call your gas company immediately.
What you can do preventatively is schedule a professional inspection before the heating season begins. One of our technicians can test your ignition system, clean the pilot assembly, check the thermocouple or flame sensor, and identify components that are nearing the end of their service life. Simple maintenance can prevent a $400+ emergency Heating System Repair when temperatures dropps low in December.
Malfunctioning Thermostats
Your thermostat is essentially the brain of your heating system. When it malfunctions, nothing else matters. Your perfectly functioning furnace will just sit there idle while your house gets colder.
The most embarrassingly simple problem is dead batteries. Modern programmable and smart thermostats run on batteries, and homeowners forget to replace them. The low battery indicator might have been flashing for weeks during mild weather when the system barely ran, but nobody noticed. Then suddenly it's cold, the batteries finally die, and the thermostat goes dark.
Beyond batteries, our technicians frequently encounter thermostats with incorrect settings. Someone accidentally switched from "Heat" to "Off" or "Cool." The fan setting is on "On" instead of "Auto," running continuously but not actually heating. The program schedule was never updated from summer cooling patterns. Or the temperature differential is set incorrectly, causing short-cycling or inadequate heating.
Programmable thermostats from 10-15 years ago are particularly problematic. The internal components degrade, causing erratic behavior. Our team has encountered thermostats that display the correct temperature but won't trigger the furnace, others that are stuck in permanent hold mode, and some that have completely lost their programming.
Location also matters tremendously. Thermostats installed in poor locations give false readings that affect performance. One on an exterior wall feels colder than the actual house temperature. One near a heat register or in direct sunlight thinks the house is warmer than it really is. These location issues become critically apparent when you shift from occasional heating to continuous operation.
Heating Maintenance should always include thermostat inspection and calibration. When you schedule service with Nevada Residential Services, our technicians will verify that your thermostat is reading accurately, that the programming makes sense for your schedule, that all connections are secure, and that it properly communicates with your HVAC system.
Uneven Heating Throughout Your Home
This is the complaint our dispatch team hears constantly during early December. "My furnace is running constantly, the living room is fine, but the bedrooms are freezing" or "Upstairs is an oven while downstairs is an icebox." Uneven heating is frustrating because the system seems to be working. It's clearly producing heat, but it's not distributing that heat effectively.
The culprit is almost always your ductwork system. The increased runtime during late fall and early winter makes these problems impossible to ignore.
Leaky ductwork is the most common cause our team at Nevada Residential Services encounters. Your duct system is supposed to be a sealed network delivering conditioned air from your furnace to every room in your home. But over time, joints separate, seams open up, and connections loosen. On service calls, we've found ducts in unconditioned spaces like attics and crawlspaces with massive holes where heated air pours out uselessly.
When 20-30% of your heated air is escaping into your attic or basement before it reaches the rooms you're trying to heat, the furnace has to work significantly harder and run much longer. The rooms farthest from the furnace or at the end of duct runs suffer the most. Professional Air Duct Services can identify and seal these leaks, dramatically improving comfort and efficiency.
Blocked or closed vents are another frequent cause. Someone closed the register in a spare bedroom years ago and forgot about it. Furniture was rearranged, and now the couch is blocking the main living room vent. Each blocked register reduces the overall airflow through your system and redirects heat away from that area.
Our technicians also frequently find dampers in the ductwork that are partially or fully closed. Sometimes accidentally, sometimes intentionally from someone's failed attempt at "balancing" the system.
Inadequate duct sizing is a design problem our team encounters in older homes or poorly planned additions. The original duct system might have been adequate for a smaller home, but after additions or renovations, it can't handle the increased demand. This requires professional duct services to properly evaluate and potentially expand or reconfigure the duct system.
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