Emergency furnace repair
from $129The call we take most often between December and February. We diagnose on the first visit and carry the common failure parts on the truck.
Sound familiar?
- Furnace blowing cold air instead of heat
- Repeated clicking at the burner, but it never actually lights
- Runs constantly and the house still won't warm up
- Short-cycles — on for a minute, off, then on again
- Smells like burning dust when it first kicks on
- Totally dead — no fan, no click, nothing, and the thermostat looks blank
What's actually causing it
Failed igniter
The hot surface igniter is the part that lights the gas, and it's a wear item — most fail after a few winters, usually on the coldest night because that's when the furnace is working hardest. It clicks and tries but nothing catches.
Dirty flame sensor
A flame sensor coated in residue can't confirm the burner actually lit, so the furnace shuts the gas valve back off a few seconds after startup — often read as "it lights, then dies." This is one of the cheaper, faster fixes we make.
Blocked side-wall vent or pressure switch
High-efficiency furnaces vent through a PVC pipe on the outside wall instead of a chimney. In a blizzard, snow drifting against the house or ice building up around the pipe blocks it, the pressure switch senses the blockage, and the furnace shuts itself down as a safety measure. Worth a look outside before you call.
Frozen condensate line
Condensing furnaces produce acidic condensate that has to drain out, and that line often runs through an unheated garage or along an exterior wall. In a hard cold snap it freezes, backs up, and trips a safety switch that stops the furnace from firing.
Inducer motor wearing out
The inducer motor pulls exhaust through the furnace before ignition is allowed to happen. Worn bearings make it louder and slower to reach the pressure the switch is looking for, so the furnace either refuses to fire or takes longer each cycle.
Thermostat, wiring, or the furnace switch
A dead thermostat battery, a thermostat that lost its schedule, or the toggle switch near the furnace (it looks like a regular light switch, often at the top of the basement stairs) getting bumped off can look exactly like a dead furnace and costs nothing to check.
What we do
- Diagnose the actual failure on the first visit — igniters, flame sensors, inducer motors, pressure switches and control boards are all stocked on the truck
- Check the exterior vent and condensate line for winter-specific blockages, not just the burner assembly
- Quote a flat rate before any repair starts
- Waive the diagnostic fee if you go ahead with the repair
- Tell you plainly if a repair isn't worth it on an old unit, rather than patching it and sending you the same bill next winter
Repair or replace?
Rough rule: if the furnace is past 15 years old and this repair is more than half of what a new one would cost, replace it. A furnace that's been reliable and just hit one bad part is usually worth fixing — we'll tell you honestly which side of that line you're on.
Straight answers
My furnace clicks over and over but never lights. What is that?
Almost always the igniter or the gas valve failing to get confirmation from the flame sensor. Most furnaces lock out after three failed attempts and need a manual reset at the thermostat or breaker — if it locks out repeatedly, that's a part that needs replacing, not a switch to keep flipping.
Is it safe to just wait it out overnight until someone can come?
Not in deep cold. Pipes can start freezing within roughly six hours of losing heat at −30. While you wait for a tech, drip cold-water faucets on exterior walls, open cabinet doors under sinks, and close off rooms you don't need to hold heat in. Call our emergency line rather than sitting on it.
The vent pipe on the side of my house is caked in ice — is that the problem?
Likely, yes. Clear snow away from it by hand (skip metal tools near the pipe) and give the furnace another try. If it keeps happening every storm, the vent termination may need to be relocated or capped differently — that's a job for us, not a DIY fix.
What should I check before I call and pay for a visit?
Thermostat batteries and mode/temperature setting, the furnace's own power switch and breaker, and the filter — a filter clogged enough to choke airflow can trip the high-limit switch and shut the furnace down on its own. If all three check out and it's still not running, that's when to call.