Most furnaces don’t quit without warning. They short-cycle for a week, make a new noise at startup, or start blowing air that’s warm but never hot. Then the first hard freeze of the year arrives… and the house won’t get above 62. Brr!
At Blount Heating and Cooling, we’ve repaired gas and electric furnaces across Athens and Northeast Georgia since 1986. This guide covers the warning signs to watch for, what you can safely check yourself, and what happens when a technician shows up.
Signs Your Furnace Needs Repair
Call Blount Heating & Cooling for heating repair if you notice any of these signs:
- No heat, or air that’s only lukewarm. The blower runs, but the house keeps losing ground.
- Short cycling. The furnace turns on and off every few minutes instead of running full cycles.
- The burners won’t stay lit. You hear clicking; the burners light for a few seconds, then shut off.
- New noises. Banging or booming at startup, squealing, scraping, or a rattle that wasn’t there last winter.
- A burning smell that doesn’t go away. A dusty smell the first time you turn the heat on each fall is normal. A smell that lingers, or smells electrical, isn’t.
- A yellow or flickering burner flame. A healthy gas flame is mostly blue.
- A tripped breaker that trips again after you reset it.
- Heating bills that climb with no change in how you use your thermostat.
Any one of these is worth a look. Two or three together usually mean a part is failing.
What to Check Before You Call
A few quick checks can save you a service call:
- Thermostat. Make sure it’s set to Heat, the set temperature is above the room temperature, and the batteries aren’t dead.
- Air filter. A clogged filter can cause the furnace to overheat and shut down. Replace it if you can’t see light through it.
- Power. Check the breaker and the light-switch-style shutoff near the furnace. These get bumped more often than you’d think.
- Gas supply. If you have a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve to the furnace is open, and other gas appliances are working.
If the furnace runs but still won’t heat after these checks, our post on why your furnace is working but there’s no heat walks through the next most likely causes. Past this point, leave it to a technician. Furnace repairs involve gas, high voltage, and combustion safety controls.
When a Furnace Problem Is an Emergency
If you smell gas, don’t flip light switches, use your phone indoors, or try to find the leak. Get everyone outside, then call 911 or your gas provider from a safe distance.
If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone out into fresh air and call 911. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends CO alarms on each level of your home and outside sleeping areas. If your home has a gas furnace and you don’t have them, put them on this weekend’s list.
For no heat on a freezing night, call us. Our answering service takes calls after hours and on weekends, and we schedule priority emergency service when your home isn’t safe to stay in without heat.
What Happens During a Furnace Repair Visit
A good repair starts with a diagnosis, not a guess. On a typical furnace call, our technician will check the thermostat and wiring, airflow and the filter, the ignition sequence, burners and flame, safety switches, and the venting. On gas furnaces, we also inspect the heat exchanger and check for carbon monoxide.
These are the parts we replace most often:
| Part | What it does | Common sign it’s failing |
|---|---|---|
| Flame sensor | Confirms the burners are lit | Burners light, then shut off after a few seconds |
| Hot surface igniter | Lights the gas | Clicking or humming, but no flame |
| Inducer motor | Pulls exhaust out through the vent | Loud hum or rattle before the burners light |
| Pressure switch | Confirms the vent is clear before lighting | Furnace starts, then stops before ignition |
| Limit switch | Shuts the burners off if the furnace overheats | Short cycling, especially with a dirty filter |
| Blower motor or capacitor | Moves warm air through the ducts | Burners run, but little or no air comes out |
| Control board | Runs the whole heating sequence | Erratic behavior or error codes |
Many of these are same-visit furnace repairs. Once we know what’s wrong, we’ll explain the problem, show you the part when we can, and give you the price before we start.
Should You Repair or Replace Your Furnace?
We always look at repair first. Replacement starts to make sense when:
- The furnace is 15 to 20 years old, and the repairs keep adding up.
- A repair would cost close to half the price of a new furnace.
- The heat exchanger is cracked. On most furnaces, that’s a safety problem that isn’t worth repairing.
- Rooms stay uneven or cold even when the furnace is running fine.
If it’s time, we’ll walk you through your options, including whether a heat pump makes more sense for your home. If it’s not, we’ll fix it and tell you what to watch for.
How to Avoid a Mid-Winter Breakdown
Most of the failures above give some warning during a fall tune-up. A technician can catch a weak flame sensor, a dirty burner, or a worn blower motor before it leaves you without heat on the coldest night of the year.
Our Preventative Maintenance Agreement includes two seasonal tune-ups a year, priority scheduling, 15% off parts, and no weekend emergency fee, so a heating problem on a Saturday doesn’t cost extra.
Furnace Repair FAQs
How long does a furnace repair take?
Most common repairs, such as a flame sensor, igniter, or capacitor, are done in a single visit once we’ve diagnosed the problem. Larger repairs may require a part to be ordered.
Is it safe to keep running a furnace that’s making a strange noise?
It depends on the noise. A squeal from a blower belt or motor usually isn’t dangerous right away, but banging at startup or a burning smell can point to a combustion or electrical problem. When in doubt, turn it off and call us.
Do you repair all furnace brands?
Yes. We repair all major brands of gas and electric furnaces, including Carrier, Trane, Bryant, American Standard, and Goodman.
Can I get furnace service on the weekend?
Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and our answering service takes calls after hours and on weekends. When a heating problem puts your household at risk, we schedule priority service and emergency maintenance to keep you and your family safe.
Schedule Furnace Repair in Athens, GA
Blount Heating and Cooling repairs furnaces in Athens, Bogart, Watkinsville, Winder, Jefferson, and across Northeast Georgia. We’re family-owned, licensed in Georgia (License #CR005833), and we’ll always tell you whether a repair makes sense before we talk about anything else. Request service online or call (706) 548-6933.