Emergency HVAC

Some noises mean shut it off now. Others mean schedule service soon. Here is how to tell them apart.

Shut it down immediately and call:

• Grinding or metal on metal, which usually means a failing motor bearing that can seize
• Loud banging or booming at startup on a furnace, often delayed ignition, which stresses the heat exchanger
• Electrical buzzing, crackling, or a burning smell
• Hissing or a chemical smell near the indoor unit, which can indicate a refrigerant leak
• Any noise accompanied by carbon monoxide detector activity

Schedule service, but not an emergency: squealing from a belt or bearing, repeated clicking without ignition, rattling panels or ductwork, or a new hum that is not accompanied by any other symptom.

Normal sounds: a brief whoosh at furnace ignition, a soft hum during operation, light ticking as ducts expand, and the outdoor unit starting with a distinct click.

When in doubt, shut it off and call. Equipment is replaceable, and running through a warning is how small failures become large ones.

Work through this list before calling, then call if the furnace still will not run.

• Thermostat. Set to heat, setpoint above room temperature, and fresh batteries. A dead battery is a common cause of a completely silent system
• Furnace power switch. There is usually a switch that looks like a light switch on or near the unit. It gets flipped off accidentally more often than you would expect
• Breaker. Check the panel for a tripped furnace circuit
• Front panel seated. Most furnaces have a door safety switch that prevents operation when the access panel is loose
• Gas supply. Confirm the valve at the furnace is open and other gas appliances work
• Filter. A severely clogged filter causes the furnace to overheat and lock out
• Outdoor vent pipes. On high efficiency furnaces, snow or ice blocking the PVC intake or exhaust will shut the unit down. Clear them carefully

No heat in freezing weather is treated as an emergency. Call and we will get someone out.

Run through these before calling. A meaningful share of no cooling calls resolve here, and it costs you nothing to check.

• Thermostat. Set to cool, setpoint below room temperature, fan on auto, and batteries fresh
• Breakers. Check the panel. Central air typically has two breakers, one for the outdoor unit and one for the indoor unit. Reset a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, stop and call, because a repeatedly tripping breaker is reporting a real fault
• Outdoor disconnect. There is a pull out switch in a box near the condenser. Confirm it is seated
• Filter. A severely clogged filter can freeze the coil and stop cooling entirely
• Indoor unit for ice. If the coil or refrigerant line is frosted, turn cooling off and the fan on to thaw it
• Condensate safety switch. A full drain pan shuts the system down deliberately. Clearing standing water sometimes restores operation

If all of that checks out and the outdoor unit is silent, it is time for a technician.

After hours and emergency calls carry different rates than scheduled appointments, and we tell you the applicable rate before dispatching a technician rather than after the work is done.

What drives the difference: staffing outside normal hours, immediate dispatch instead of route optimization, and holding capacity in the schedule for emergencies rather than filling it with planned work.

How to reduce what you pay:

• Let us triage first. Some situations resolve over the phone with a few checks, and we will walk you through them before sending a truck
• PeakClub member pricing applies to emergency work and offsets a meaningful share of the difference
• Ask whether it can wait. If the situation is genuinely not urgent, we will tell you, and a scheduled appointment the next business day costs less

The larger point: most emergency calls trace back to conditions that a seasonal maintenance visit would have caught. The cheapest emergency is the one that never happens.

If you have no heat in freezing weather:

• Close off unused rooms to concentrate the heat you have
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes
• Let faucets drip slightly on exterior wall plumbing to reduce freeze risk
• Use only safely vented supplemental heat. Never a gas range, oven, or unvented combustion heater indoors
• Gather everyone into one room and use blankets and layers

If you have no cooling in extreme heat:

• Close blinds and curtains on sun facing windows
• Run fans, which do not lower the temperature but help the body cool
• Hydrate, and check on elderly neighbors and pets
• Move to the lowest floor of the home, which stays coolest
• Leave for a cooled space if anyone shows signs of heat illness

If you smell gas or a CO alarm sounds: leave the house immediately, do not operate switches, and call from outside. Do not wait inside for anyone.

Same day is our standard target for genuine emergencies, and we hold capacity in the schedule specifically for them during peak heating and cooling seasons.

What affects the actual window:

• Regional demand. During an extreme heat event or a hard freeze, every company in a market is overwhelmed at once. We are honest about the window rather than optimistic
• Time of day. A morning call has more options than a late evening one
• Severity. Safety issues and freeze risk move ahead of comfort issues
• Membership. PeakClub members hold priority position, which matters most on exactly the days when it is hardest to get anyone out

What we do to shorten it: our trucks carry the components behind the large majority of emergency calls, including capacitors, contactors, ignitors, flame sensors, and common control parts, so most emergency repairs are completed on the first visit rather than turning into a second appointment after a part order.

Yes. Emergency service is available outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends, because heating and cooling failures do not schedule themselves conveniently.

How emergency calls are handled: when you call, we assess the situation over the phone first. Some issues resolve with a few checks you can do yourself, and we will walk you through those before dispatching a technician, because sending a truck for a thermostat battery is not a good outcome for anyone.

How we prioritize:

• Safety situations, including gas odor and carbon monoxide, come first and are coordinated with emergency services where appropriate
• No heat in freezing conditions and no cooling in extreme heat come next
• Households with infants, elderly residents, or medical needs are moved forward
• PeakClub members receive priority within each category

What we tell you up front: the realistic arrival window and the applicable rate before a technician is dispatched. You will not be surprised by either.

Some situations need a technician now. Others can safely wait for a scheduled appointment, and knowing the difference saves you money.

Call immediately:

• Gas smell or carbon monoxide alarm. Leave the house first, then call from outside. This is the one with no exceptions
• No heat in freezing weather, which risks frozen and burst pipes as well as occupant safety
• No cooling during extreme heat, especially with infants, elderly residents, or anyone with a medical condition in the home
• Burning smell, smoke, or sparking from any equipment
• Water actively leaking from the indoor unit onto finished space
• Loud grinding or banging that started suddenly

Can wait for a scheduled visit: uneven room temperatures, a system that is less efficient than it used to be, a thermostat quirk, minor noises that have been present a while, or a system that cools adequately but not as well as last year.

If you are unsure, call and describe it. We will tell you honestly which category it is.