Heating and Furnace Repair in Middle Tennessee
- Licensed and insured plumbing, HVAC and electrical techs
No heat on a cold morning, a furnace that clicks and never lights, or a heat pump blowing lukewarm air? Those have different causes, and most of them are repairs, not replacements.
We'll find what failed, explain it in plain words, and give you a firm price before any work starts. Heating repairs are done by licensed and insured techs. One call still covers the whole house, including the gas line or the electrical circuit if the problem turns out to be there.
Signs you need heating repair help
- No heat at all, or the system will not turn on
- The furnace clicks or tries to light, then shuts off
- The blower runs, but the air from the vents is cool
- A heat pump blows lukewarm air, or the thermostat shows backup heat running most of the time
- The system runs constantly and the house never reaches the set temperature
- The heat turns on and off every few minutes (short cycling)
- A burning or electrical smell that lasts past the first few minutes of the season
- Banging, squealing or rattling from the furnace or the outdoor unit
What we do
Diagnosis
Starting with the thermostat, the breaker, the filter and the gas supply, then the parts inside the furnace or heat pump, to find the part that failed before anything is replaced.
Gas furnace repair
Igniters, flame sensors, gas valves, pressure switches, inducer motors, limit switches and control boards.
Electric furnaces and heat strips
Heating elements, sequencers, relays and the breakers that feed them. Loose or burned connections are a common cause.
Heat pump heating problems
Reversing valves, defrost controls, outdoor fan motors and refrigerant leaks, plus the backup heat that helps on the coldest days.
Blowers and airflow
Blower motors and capacitors, and the clogged filters and closed vents that make a furnace overheat and shut itself off.
Safety checks
On gas furnaces, the flue and venting, the flame, the safety switches, and a look at the heat exchanger for cracks.
Repair or replace?
Most heating calls come down to one part: an igniter, a flame sensor, a capacitor, a pressure switch or a control board. Those are worth fixing, and we'll tell you so.
A cracked heat exchanger is different. It can let combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, into the air you breathe, and on most furnaces replacing the furnace makes more sense than repairing it. Replacement is also worth pricing when a system near the end of its expected life has a major failure, or when repair bills keep adding up. If you're planning a renovation or an addition, that's a good time to check whether the system still fits the house. We'll show you what we found and price each option.
What it costs, and how we price it
What drives the price
- Which part failed, and whether it is a common part or one made only for your model
- Gas furnace, electric furnace or heat pump
- Whether a heat pump has a refrigerant leak to find and repair
- The age of the system and whether parts are still made for it
- Where the equipment sits: an attic or crawl space takes longer than a hall closet or basement
- Whether the gas line, venting, ductwork or electrical supply also needs work
- The diagnostic visit
- Free. We come look, find the cause and explain it.
- Your price
- Firm price given before any work starts.
- How we price
- Priced per job. Each job is priced on its own.
- Why prices stay down
- Low overhead, and the work done right the first time with current methods, equipment and quality materials, so you are not paying for callbacks.
How a visit works
Call or text
Call or text (615) 426-9344 and tell us what's going on. A photo helps. We work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A free diagnostic visit
We come look, find the cause and explain it in plain words. The visit is free.
A firm price before any work starts
You get the price for the job before we begin, so you can decide with real numbers.
The work, done right the first time
Current methods, good equipment and quality materials. We keep overhead low and skip the callbacks, which keeps prices down.
Follow-up
If anything we worked on gives you trouble, call or text the same number.
Urgent
No heat, or a gas smell?
- If you smell gas, leave the house now. Don't flip switches on the way out. Call the gas company or 911 from outside.
- If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911.
- No heat in a freeze: check that the thermostat is set to heat, check the breaker, and replace a clogged filter.
- Stay warm safely. Plug space heaters straight into the wall, keep them 3 feet from anything that can burn, and turn them off when you leave the room. Never heat the house with a gas oven or stove.
- Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so the pipes stay warmer.
- Then call us at (615) 426-9344.
We work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Outside those hours, shut off what you can, stay safe, and call or text first thing.
Why is my furnace running but blowing cold air?
Often the burners aren't lighting, or they light and shut off. A dirty flame sensor, a failed igniter or a pressure switch problem can all do this, and the blower keeps pushing unheated air through the house.
Check the easy things first. The thermostat should be set to heat with the fan on auto, not on. The filter should be clean, and the furnace door should be closed tight, since many furnaces won't run with it open. If it still blows cold, turn it off and call.
Why does my heat pump blow lukewarm air?
Some of that is normal. Air from a heat pump is warm, not hot, so it can feel cool at the vent even when the house is heating fine. In cold, damp weather it also pauses to defrost, and steam may rise off the outdoor unit for a few minutes.
It's a problem when the house won't reach the set temperature, when backup heat runs most of the day, or when the outdoor unit stays caked in ice. The emergency heat setting runs only the backup heat. Use it as a stopgap if the outdoor unit is iced solid or not running, then call us.
How do I know my gas furnace is safe?
A furnace in good repair sends its combustion gases out through the flue. A cracked heat exchanger, a blocked flue or a failed inducer motor can change that, which is why a fall safety check on a gas furnace is worth it.
Keep a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the house and outside each sleeping area, and test it when you change the clocks. A dusty smell for the first few minutes of the season is normal. A smell that lingers, or any smell of gas, is not.
Common questions
Is the diagnostic visit really free?
Yes. We'll come look at your heating system for free, tell you what's wrong and give you a firm price before any work starts. You decide from there.
Who does the heating repair work?
Heating repairs are done by licensed and insured techs. Root House gives you the price, and one call still covers plumbing, HVAC and electrical.
I smell gas. What should I do?
Leave the house now, don't flip switches on the way out, and call the gas company or 911 from outside. Don't go back in until they say it's safe. Then call us at (615) 426-9344, and we'll find and fix the cause.
Do you repair both furnaces and heat pumps?
Yes. We repair gas furnaces, electric furnaces and heat pumps, including dual-fuel systems that pair a heat pump with a gas furnace.
My heat stopped working. What should I check first?
Check that the thermostat is set to heat and above the room temperature, that the breaker is on, that the filter is not clogged and that the furnace door is closed. On a gas furnace, make sure the gas valve is on. If it still will not heat, call or text us at (615) 426-9344. We work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Why does my furnace smell like burning when it first turns on?
A dusty, burning smell for the first few minutes of the season is dust burning off the heat exchanger or the heat strips, and it's normal. If it lasts longer, smells electrical or smells like gas, turn the system off and call.
When should I have my heat checked?
In the fall, before the first cold snap. A fall tune-up catches weak igniters, dirty flame sensors and failing parts while you still have time to fix them without a cold house.
Related
- Heat Pump Repair and Installation
- HVAC Tune-Ups and Maintenance
- AC Repair
- Gas Line Installation and Repair
- Smart Thermostats
- Ductwork Repair, Sealing and Installation
HVAC
What does "emergency heat" mean on a heat pump thermostat?
Emergency heat is a thermostat setting that shuts off your heat pump's outdoor unit and heats the house with backup heat alone, usually electric heat strips or a gas furnace. It's mainly for when the heat pump itself isn't working. Heat strips cost more to run than a working heat pump, so switch back once it's repaired.
HVAC
Heat pump or gas furnace for a Middle Tennessee home?
Both work in Middle Tennessee, and what the house already has usually decides it. A heat pump heats and cools with one system and runs efficiently through most of the winter, with backup heat for the coldest nights. A gas furnace's output doesn't drop in the cold, but it needs gas service and a separate unit for cooling.
Plumbing
How do you prevent frozen pipes in a Middle Tennessee winter?
Keep the heat on and steady, take hoses off outdoor faucets and insulate exposed pipes in the crawl space, attic and garage. In a hard freeze, open sink cabinets and let faucets fed by those pipes drip. Close crawl space vents too, unless there's a gas furnace or water heater down there. Know where your main water shutoff is.
Work that holds.
Call or text for heating repair anywhere we serve in Middle Tennessee.