Texas winters are short, but a cold snap with no heat is miserable and, for older family members, unsafe. Gelid Tech diagnoses gas and electric furnace problems and restores steady, safe heat.
Furnace Problems We Fix
- No heat, or cool air from the vents with the heat on
- Furnace clicks but never lights
- Short cycling: the furnace runs a few minutes, then shuts off
- Burning, dusty or gas smell when the heat runs
- Loud banging, rattling or squealing
- Some rooms warm while others stay cold
- Blower that runs nonstop
What We Check
Your technician inspects the ignitor, flame sensor, gas valve, pressure switch, inducer motor, blower and limit switches, plus the heat exchanger for cracks. A dirty flame sensor or a failed ignitor is behind many no-heat calls and is usually a quick repair.
Safety First
If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility from outside before calling us. Test your carbon monoxide detectors every fall. A cracked heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide, which is one reason a yearly furnace inspection matters.
Before You Call
- Set the thermostat to Heat, a few degrees above room temperature.
- Check for a tripped breaker and make sure the furnace power switch is on.
- Replace a clogged filter. Restricted airflow can make a furnace overheat and shut itself off.
- Make sure the furnace panel door is fully closed. Many furnaces won’t run with it loose.
Repair or Replace Your Furnace?
Furnaces often last 15 to 20 years. If yours is in that range, needs frequent repairs or has a cracked heat exchanger, furnace installation is often the safer, cheaper choice over time.
Keep Your Furnace Ready
A fall visit through our HVAC maintenance service catches worn parts before the first cold night. For whole-home heating issues, see our heating services. If your heat fails during a freeze, call for emergency HVAC service.
How a Gas Furnace Starts, and Where It Fails
Understanding the startup sequence helps explain why a furnace fails the way it does.
- The thermostat calls for heat.
- The inducer motor starts and clears the flue. A pressure switch confirms the venting is working.
- The hot surface ignitor glows, or a spark ignitor fires.
- The gas valve opens and the burners light.
- The flame sensor confirms there is a flame. If it can’t, the gas valve closes within seconds.
- Once the heat exchanger warms up, the blower starts and sends warm air through the house.
A problem at any step stops the furnace. A clicking furnace that never lights often points to the ignitor or gas supply. One that lights and then shuts off after a few seconds usually has a dirty flame sensor. A furnace that runs the inducer but never lights may have a blocked vent or a failed pressure switch.
Furnace Parts We Repair and Replace
- Ignitors: hot surface ignitors crack with age and are a common cause of no-heat calls.
- Flame sensors: a thin coating builds up over time. Cleaning or replacing the sensor often restores heat right away.
- Inducer motors and pressure switches: these confirm the furnace is venting safely before it lights.
- Gas valves: they control the gas supply to the burners.
- Blower motors and capacitors: a weak blower means weak airflow and can cause the furnace to overheat.
- Limit switches: safety switches that shut the burners off if the furnace gets too hot.
- Control boards: the furnace’s brain. Many boards flash an error code that helps us find the fault faster.
- Thermostats and wiring: sometimes the furnace is fine and the thermostat isn’t sending the signal.
Electric Furnaces and Heat Pumps
Not every Mansfield home heats with gas. Electric furnaces use heating elements instead of burners, and their common failures are burned-out elements, sequencers and relays. Heat pumps heat by moving warmth from outside air, with electric strips as backup on the coldest days. We repair all three. If your heat pump is the issue, see our heating services.
Why North Texas Furnaces Fail at the Worst Time
In Mansfield, a furnace can sit unused for eight or nine months. Dust settles on the burners and flame sensor, and parts that worked last spring don’t always restart when the first cold front arrives. That’s why so many no-heat calls happen on the first cold night of the year. A fall check before you need the heat is the simplest way to avoid that.
Winter storms are the other big test. During a hard freeze, every furnace in the area runs at once, and older systems that were barely keeping up start to fail.
What Affects the Cost of a Furnace Repair
Cleaning a flame sensor or replacing an ignitor is usually a modest repair. Inducer motors, blower motors, gas valves and control boards cost more. A cracked heat exchanger is the costliest problem and is often the point where we recommend replacement for safety reasons. You get the price before any work starts.
Furnace Repair FAQ
Why does my furnace turn on and then shut off? Common causes are a dirty flame sensor, a clogged filter causing overheating, or a failing pressure switch.
Why is my furnace blowing cold air? Check that the thermostat is set to Heat, not just Fan On. If it is, the burners may not be lighting.
Is a burning smell normal? A light dusty smell on the first cold day is normal for a few minutes. A smell that lasts, or any gas smell, is not.
What does it mean if my furnace light is blinking? Most modern furnaces flash an error code on the control board. Note the pattern before you call. It helps us find the fault faster.
Should I keep resetting my furnace? No. If it shuts off again after one reset, a safety control is doing its job. Repeated resets can hide a dangerous problem.
How long does a furnace repair take? Most common repairs, like an ignitor or flame sensor, are done in one visit.
Do I need a carbon monoxide detector? Yes, if your home has a gas furnace, gas water heater or attached garage. Install one near sleeping areas and test it every month.
No heat? Call (682) 392-2998 or request furnace repair online.