Homeowners' pick for heating and cooling across Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic
Furnace Repair — Book a Visit Today
We handle furnace repair and heating repair for homes across Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the first step is a call so we can get a technician to your address. Most no-heat calls come down to a cracked ignitor, a flame sensor coated in residue, a failed inducer or blower motor, a clogged filter choking airflow, or a control board that has locked out on a safety. A visit starts with what you noticed, then we watch the furnace run through a full cycle, check the ignition sequence, read temperature rise and inspect the flue and wiring. You get told what failed and what the repair involves before we touch a part. If you smell gas, leave the house first and call 911 or your gas utility, then call us.
Call (888) 365-6280- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM ET
The furnace symptoms we hear most
- The furnace clicks, then nothing happens Ignitor, flame sensor or control board lockout
- It runs for two minutes and shuts off, over and over Short cycling from a dirty flame sensor, blocked flue or restricted airflow
- Air is coming out of the vents but it feels cool Burners not lighting, or the blower running on a fan setting
- There is a loud rattle or squeal when the heat kicks on Blower wheel, inducer motor or a failing bearing
- Upstairs never warms up while downstairs cooks Duct losses in a vented crawlspace, closed dampers or a weak blower
People call this furnace repair, heating repair or heater repair. Same visit, same written quote, same technician.
Safe things to check first
Worth a look before you call — sometimes it saves you the visit.
- 1 Check the thermostat: fresh batteries, set to Heat, and the setpoint a few degrees above the room temperature.
- 2 Look at the breaker panel for a tripped furnace or air handler breaker, and reset it once.
- 3 Pull the filter and hold it to the light. If you cannot see through it, put in a clean one of the same size.
- 4 Walk the house and confirm supply and return vents are open and not blocked by rugs or furniture.
How we compare to other HVAC companies
| James River Heating & Air | Big-box repair chains | Handyman listings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written quote before any work | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live answer seven days a week | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Every major brand, gas or electric | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Independent company, nobody's quota | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Local techs who know the housing stock | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
What you get on every job
The quote comes first, in writing
Covering 171 cities across Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland and 5 more.A real person answers
Open 7 days, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.Every major brand, gas and electric
Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman and more. We are not an authorized dealer for any of them.Furnace Repair — quick answers
My furnace will not turn on at all. What should I do?
Check the thermostat batteries and setting, then look for a tripped breaker, and swap a filthy filter. If none of that brings it back, call us for heating repair. We do not want you opening panels or touching gas or high-voltage parts.
Is it worth repairing an older furnace?
Often yes, if the heat exchanger is sound and the failed part is an ignitor, sensor, motor or board. We tell you what we find and what the repair involves so you can weigh a repair against replacement without pressure from us.
What does a burning smell at first startup mean?
Dust burning off the heat exchanger is common the first cold week and fades within an hour or two. A smell that lingers, smells electrical, or comes with smoke means shut the system off at the thermostat and call us for furnace repair.
Why does my furnace keep shutting off before the house warms up?
Short cycling usually points to a flame sensor coated in residue, a restricted filter, a blocked flue or an overheating limit switch. It is a safety doing its job. Change the filter first, and if it repeats, book a visit.
Do you repair electric furnaces too?
Yes. Electric furnace repair covers heating elements, sequencers, contactors, blower motors and thermostat wiring. The symptoms look similar to gas, weak heat or no heat, but the causes differ. Tell us which you have when you call so we arrive with the right parts.
I think I smell gas near the furnace. What now?
Leave the building immediately, take everyone with you, and do not flip switches. From outside, call 911 or your gas utility. Once they have cleared the property, call us and we will handle the furnace repair side of it.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call or fill in the form and describe what changed. Warm air, short cycling, a smell, water near the indoor unit. Details like that help us load the right parts before we leave.
- Step 2
We diagnose the whole system
We check the thermostat, the indoor unit, the outdoor unit and the ductwork, including runs in crawlspaces where damp air and loose joints quietly cause weak airflow and long run times.
- Step 3
You approve the fix
We explain what failed, what it takes to repair it, and what we would watch next season. Nothing gets replaced without your yes, and we clean up before we leave.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Humidity is our home groundMuggy summers and damp shoulder seasons drive most of the calls we take. We look at moisture and airflow together, not the cooling number alone, because a clammy house often means a sizing or duct problem.
- Crawlspace ducts get checkedOlder homes across the region run supply ducts through vented crawlspaces. Crushed flex, disconnected boots and soaked insulation show up constantly, and we get under the house to look instead of guessing from the register.
- Heating and cooling bothSame crew for air conditioning repair in July and heating repair in January. We know how your furnace, heat pump and air handler share ducts and a blower, so one visit covers the whole system.
- Plain talk on repair or replaceWhen a repair makes sense, we repair it. When a system is failing in ways that will keep costing you, we say so and explain why, then leave the decision with you and your timeline.
- All major brands, gas & electricCarrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York and more, as an independent company.
- Straight answersIf a system is not worth repairing, we say so, often right on the phone.
Furnace Repair
Small faults become big ones on a schedule of their own
Describe the symptoms and we'll book the visit — takes about a minute.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
Rather not call? Get a free quote →