When cold weather sets in, you rely on your furnace to keep you warm throughout the season. However, if your furnace breaks and you are left without heat, your home can be uncomfortable in no time at all. If you have children, pets, or elderly occupying the space, it becomes even more critical to have your furnace repairs completed right away! The skilled HVAC technicians at Design Aire provide furnace repair services throughout the St. Louis and St. Charles areas, giving peace of mind to homeowners every year.

Alongside our commitment to quality service, we have been recognized as the #1 Trane Dealer in the Midwest for a number of years, providing quality products from Trane to customers looking to upgrade or replace an existing Trane furnace unit.

What To Do If Your Heater Is Not Working

If you notice that your heat has suddenly stopped working, you might wonder if there is a furnace problem. It may be something simple you can take care of on your own with simple HVAC repair techniques, or you may need to bring in a professional if it is a more serious problem for a heating repair.

The first thing to do when your house gets cold is to check for simple problems with a simple solution. When you suspect the furnace has gone out, take these steps:

• Make sure your furnace is turned on. Most furnaces have a switch mounted on their side (it may look like a light switch) that can be easily bumped. Turn it back on and see if that fixes the problem.
• Make sure your furnace is set to “heat mode” on the thermostat. If not, set it to “heat” and wait to see if your home starts to get warmer.
• Reset your furnace. Find the switch mounted on or near the furnace and turn the power off. If you can’t find a switch at the furnace you can turn off the circuit breaker to the furnace at the main circuit breaker box. Wait about 10 seconds. Turn the switch or breaker back on and check the furnace to see that it has power again.
• Check your thermostat to make sure some other setting wasn’t accidentally bumped or changed. If you have a smart thermostat, it might have an alert about a potential problem with your furnace.
• Check if your thermostat may be broken. Set it to different temperatures and see how the temperature in your home responds.
• Check your digital thermostat batteries. Most thermostats will display a low battery warning. If the batteries die completely, the thermostat will stop working and your furnace won’t function.
• Check your electrical panel to make sure you didn’t blow a fuse or trip a breaker. You can fix these at home.
• Make sure that the pilot light isn’t out or that the gas valve is not shut off. If it is, you can relight the pilot light.

If none of these seem to be causing the problem with your furnace, or if you feel uncomfortable dealing with them on your own, contact the team at Design Aire!

Experts in Furnace Repair

There are many parts of a heating system which means there could be a number of possible reasons for your furnace not working properly. When selecting a professional furnace repair service, you need an HVAC technician who knows what they’re doing and will solve the issue as soon as possible. Design Aire’s team of highly experienced technicians can examine the issue and diagnose the root problem quickly in a relaxed, friendly, no-pressure consultation. Once a diagnosis is determined, your HVAC technician can go about making the necessary repairs to get your system up and running as you expect!

We have experience diagnosing and repairing all aspects of furnaces including:

• A lack of hot air
• Inadequate airflow
• Furnace turning on too frequently
• Automatic shutdowns
• Furnace making strange noises
• Sudden increase in your energy bills

Many of these and other common furnace problems can be addressed by our HVAC service technicians in one visit. Performing routine maintenance on your heater can prevent a litany of issues from coming up and causing the need for repairs between services.

We evaluate and perform the following when examining your furnace:

• Check flue system
• Check return air filter
• Check all parts for visible wear
• Lubricate motors and bearing as needed
• Check gas train and all electrical components and connections
• Combustion analysis and carbon monoxide testing
• Check thermostat operation
• Check thermostat batteries
• Check proper burner ignition and efficiency
• Clean and check pilot/ignition assembly
• Verify complete system operation and safety

Furnace Repair vs Replacement

If you are experiencing a furnace problem, our technicians can perform an inspection on your broken furnace to determine what the root cause of the issue is and help you decide if it makes more sense to repair or have a new furnace installation service completed. A good rule of thumb is that once your heater repair costs exceed half the cost of a new heater installation, it’s time for a furnace replacement.

How Much Does Furnace Repair Cost?

The costs associated with your repair will depend on the nature of the problem and the parts required to repair it. At Design Aire, we work hard to deliver the best possible service and we will recommend the most cost-effective furnace repair options. For a free, no-obligation estimate for your furnace repairs, contact us today!

What Furnace Brands Do You Repair?

We offer furnace maintenance and furnace repair service for every brand of furnace system including Amana, American Standard, Armstrong, Bryant, Burnham, Carrier, Coleman, Comfortmaker, Daikin, Ducane Frigidaire, Gibson, Goodman, Heil, Janitrol, Lennox, Luxaire, Maytag, Nordyne, Payne, Rheem, Ruud, Sears, Tempstar, Trane, Weatherking, and York to name a few.

How To Heat Your House When Your Furnace Breaks

Along with dressing in layers, putting on your winter gear, and wrapping up in blankets, here are some other things you can do to help keep your home as warm as possible until your furnace can be fixed with a heating repair service.

Use a Space Heater

If a power outage wasn’t the cause of your gas furnace going out, use a space heater to stay warm. Place it in a central room on a level, flat surface and try to stay there with your family most of the day until your furnace is up and running again. Having everyone gathered together in one room will keep all of you warm. Don’t sit on or drape anything over it and be sure not to leave it unattended.

Use Your Fireplace

If you have a gas or wood-burning fireplace, use it to warm up parts of your home. Be sure to use all safety precautions when starting a fire in your fireplace.

Cook or Bake Something

You should never turn on the stove or oven by itself for the purpose of warming up your house — that is a dangerous fire hazard. However, you can pass the time by cooking or baking something and help warm up your kitchen in the process. Try a recipe for something that can keep you warm like soup, cookies, pie, bread, or a casserole!

Insulate Against Outside Air

To prevent cold, outside air from getting inside, keep your windows and doors closed. Shut the blinds, curtains, and drapes or hang towels over windows that don’t have a window treatment. Close doors to rooms you aren’t using, such as the basement or guest rooms. If your family is able to stick to one room until it warms up, hang up blankets in the doorway to try to keep the room as warm as possible.

Stay Inside

Every time you open the door, heat escapes and cold air comes inside. Try to limit the number of times you go out and come back in. Consider having everyone stay inside until your furnace is back up and running.

Will My Pipes Freeze?

Many people worry about their pipes freezing as their home gets cold after their gas or electric furnace breaks. This is definitely a concern — going without heat for even a few hours can cause your pipes to freeze. Along with taking steps to keep your house warm, you can do these tasks to reduce the risk of frozen and burst pipes:

• Turn the faucets on to keep the water running on a low drip
• Place space heaters where pipes are vulnerable, such as in the basement (but do not leave them unattended)
• Open cabinets, closets, and other spaces that contain plumbing to circulate warm air

St. Louis & St. Charles, MO Heating Service

It can be frustrating when your furnace or heating system is not working, but with the help of experienced furnace repair technicians like those at Design Aire, you can rest easy knowing your system is taken care of the correct way from the start. Contact Design Aire today to properly diagnose and repair your furnace – schedule an appointment today!