Emergency Furnace Repair in Buffalo, NY

Once the building is safe and the utility or fire department has cleared it, call us. A gas appliance involved in a leak or a CO event should not be restarted until it has been inspected.

1. 1Thermostat. Set to heat, several degrees above room temperature. Replace the batteries if the display is blank.
2. 2Switch and breaker. Confirm the furnace power switch is on and the breaker has not tripped. Reset a breaker once only.
3. 3Vents outside. National Fuel advises clearing snow and ice from appliance exhaust and intake vents. A buried pipe on a high-efficiency furnace can shut it down.
4. 4Filter. A badly clogged filter can overheat the furnace and trip its limit switch.
5. 5Stop there. Do not bypass safety switches or open the burner compartment. Never heat with a gas oven, a charcoal grill or a generator running indoors.

Western New York sees about 124 nights a year at or below 32°F and about 50 at or below 20°F, according to NOAA normals as reported by MyWild.Report. A house with no heat in that weather can lose temperature quickly, and pipes on exterior walls are the first to freeze.

• Open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls.
• Let a thin stream of water run from the faucets farthest from the main.
• Close off unused rooms and keep everyone in one warm room.
• Find your main water shutoff now, so you can close it quickly if a pipe bursts.

The Red Cross also advises holding the thermostat at one temperature day and night, and checking pipes along exterior walls and in unheated basements, attics and garages first. If you use an electric space heater while you wait, NFPA advises keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from it.

If a pipe has frozen solid or burst, shut off the main valve, and call a plumber. Do not use open flames to thaw a pipe.

The office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 to 5. Call (321) 666-8870 outside those hours and leave your name, address and what the furnace is doing. If anyone in the home is elderly, ill or an infant, say so in the first sentence.

The reviews below describe what happened for these customers. They are not promises about your call.

1. 1Ask the safety questions. We confirm there has been no gas smell or CO alarm before starting any diagnosis.
2. 2Watch the start-up sequence. Inducer, ignitor, flame signal and blower tell us where it fails.
3. 3Test the likely parts. Ignitor, flame sensor, limit and pressure switches, and the condensate drain on a high-efficiency furnace.
4. 4Explain and quote. You see the problem and the options. We quote before repairing.

Why do furnaces quit on the coldest nights?

Most no-heat calls trace to a short list of parts. A hot-surface ignitor cracks with age. A flame sensor coated in residue loses the flame signal and the gas valve closes. A clogged filter lets the furnace overheat, so the limit switch trips. On a high-efficiency furnace, a blocked vent or a frozen condensate line trips the pressure switch. NOAA normals reported by MyWild.Report put Buffalo at about 50 nights a year at or below 20°F, so these parts work hardest when a repair is hardest to schedule.

Some failures can be fixed on the spot, and some cannot. One customer’s furnace was fixed temporarily until a new one could be installed within three days. If the furnace is past saving, our furnace replacement page shows how we advise.

Ask us on the phone. We publish no emergency rate, and none appears here. Tell us the problem and when you need us, and we explain how the visit would be priced before we head out.

For scale, one unverified contractor figure puts an ignitor or flame sensor replacement at about $150 to $350. That is not our quote, and your furnace may need something different. Our furnace repair page covers cost factors, and we quote before any work begins.

• The failed part: an ignitor or flame sensor is a different job from a blower motor, a control board or a heat exchanger.
• Furnace type: a high-efficiency furnace adds condensate, vent and pressure-switch parts to the list.
• Age and parts: an older furnace may need a part that takes time to find.
• Access: a tight basement or attic slows the work.
• Repair or replace: a cracked heat exchanger usually points to replacement, and we quote that before anything is ordered.
• Timing: when you need us affects scheduling, so ask how the visit would be priced.

Which licensing, permit and alarm rules apply?

Licensing is local in New York because the state has no HVAC contractor license, according to Erie County Consumer Protection. Heating work inside the City of Buffalo requires a Heating Contractor license, and the Fuel Devices office of Permit & Inspection Services can confirm one. In the city, a furnace replacement needs a permit before work starts. Outside it, towns differ, so ask your municipality what applies at your address. Separately, New York’s Amanda’s Law, Executive Law section 378, requires carbon monoxide alarms in one- and two-family homes. Check them before heating season.