Before anything else
If you smell gas, leave the house immediately and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. If a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, get everyone outside and call 911. Neither situation is a furnace-repair call until emergency responders have cleared the property.
Step 1: Safe checks (about ten minutes)
- 1
Thermostat
Mode on HEAT, fan on AUTO, setpoint five degrees above room temperature, fresh batteries.
- 2
Furnace switch
The light-switch-style toggle on or near the furnace should be on. So should the breaker for the heating circuit.
- 3
Blower door
Make sure the front panel is fully seated — an open door switch stops everything.
- 4
Filter
If light will not pass through it, replace it with the correct size before restarting.
- 5
Outdoor vents
On high-efficiency furnaces, clear snow and ice from the PVC intake and exhaust.
- 6
Condensate
Check the pump reservoir and drain line for backup or ice.
- 7
Error code
Note the LED flash pattern behind the furnace viewport.
- 8
One reset
Furnace switch off 30 seconds, then on. One attempt. If it fails again, stop.
Step 2: Call
Call 716-412-2677. Have ready: your 5-digit ZIP code, the furnace brand and approximate age, exactly what the furnace does when it tries to start, the LED code if you saw one, and what you have already checked. That information genuinely shortens the visit.
No heat right now? Call 716-412-2677 for 24/7 service availability.
Call now for a free quote and service availability. Please have your 5-digit ZIP code ready.
Step 3: Protect the house while you wait
- Close doors to unused rooms; keep occupied rooms connected.
- Open cabinet doors beneath sinks on exterior walls so room air reaches the pipes.
- During a hard freeze, run a thin trickle from the faucet farthest from the main.
- Close blinds and curtains overnight; open south-facing ones during sunny hours.
- Dress in layers and use blankets rather than pushing space heaters hard.
- Move pets to the warmest part of the house.
- If the house drops into the 40s, consider staying elsewhere overnight.
Space heater safety
Three feet of clearance from bedding, curtains, and furniture. Plug directly into a wall outlet, never a power strip or extension cord. Do not leave one running in an unoccupied room or overnight in a bedroom. Never use an oven, range, grill, or unvented fuel-burning heater to warm a home.
Step 4: Think about what happens next
If this is the third failure in two winters, or the furnace is past 18 years and a major component has gone, it is worth spending ten minutes with the repair-versus-replacement calculator before making a decision under pressure. A rushed choice made in a cold house is rarely the choice you would make with the same information on a calm afternoon.