No Heat? What to Check Before You Call for Emergency Repair

When the house is getting cold, you want the heat back on now. Sometimes that means a service call. Sometimes it's a switch, a filter or a thermostat battery. These are the same checks we walk customers through on the phone before we head out. None of them require tools or opening up the furnace.

One rule before anything else: if you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Don't flip switches or try to relight anything.

1. Check the thermostat

It sounds too simple, but it's the most common fix. Make sure it's set to Heat, not Cool or Off, and that the set temperature is a few degrees above the room temperature. If the screen is blank or dim, replace the batteries. Smart thermostats can also lose their Wi-Fi schedule after a power blip, so check that it hasn't dropped into an away or eco setting.

2. Check the furnace switch and breaker

Most furnaces have a power switch that looks like a light switch, usually on the furnace or on a wall nearby. It gets bumped off more often than you'd think. Also check your electrical panel for a tripped breaker labeled furnace or boiler. If a breaker trips again right after you reset it, leave it off and call us.

3. Look at the filter

A badly clogged filter can make a furnace overheat and shut itself off as a safety measure. Pull the filter and hold it up to a light. If you can't see light through it, replace it. Then turn the system off for a minute and back on.

4. Check for a blocked vent outside

High-efficiency furnaces vent through white plastic pipes, usually out the side of the house. In a Minnesota winter, drifting snow or ice can block those pipes and the furnace will shut down to stay safe. If you can reach them safely, clear any snow or ice away from both pipes.

5. For boilers, check the pressure and the circulator

Hot water boilers have a pressure and temperature gauge on the front. If the pressure is far lower than usual, the system may not circulate properly. Don't try to add water yourself unless you've been shown how. Note the reading and tell us when you call. If the boiler is running but the radiators stay cold, the circulator pump may have stopped, and that's a call for us.

6. For oil and propane systems, check your fuel

It happens to everyone eventually: the tank runs dry. Check the gauge on your oil tank or propane tank. If it's empty, call your fuel supplier first. Oil systems often need a tech to bleed the line and restart the burner after running out, so call us once the fuel is delivered.

7. On a high-efficiency furnace, check the condensate drain

High-efficiency furnaces make water as they run, and that water drains through a small tube, often to a little pump near the furnace. If the drain clogs or the pump fails, a safety switch shuts the furnace down. Look for water on the floor around the furnace or a pump that's full and not running. That's worth mentioning when you call, because it points us straight to the problem.

Keeping the house safe while you wait

• Close doors to rooms you aren't using and keep the warm air where people are.
• If you use space heaters, keep them clear of anything that can burn and never run them unattended or overnight.
• Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls and let faucets drip, so pipes don't freeze if the house gets very cold.
• Never use an oven, grill or generator indoors for heat.

When to stop and call

• You smell gas or exhaust, or a carbon monoxide alarm goes off. Get out and call from outside.
• A breaker keeps tripping.
• The furnace or boiler starts, then shuts off over and over.
• You hear banging, grinding or squealing that wasn't there before.
• You've done the checks above and still have no heat.

When you call, tell us what kind of system you have (gas, propane or fuel oil; furnace or boiler), what you've already checked, and any error lights or codes you see. That helps us show up with the right parts. Our trucks are fully stocked, so most repairs get finished on the first visit.

We service furnaces, boilers and fuel oil heating across the North Metro. If you're without heat, call rather than filling out the form.

Frequently asked questions

Do you offer emergency heating repair after hours?

Yes. Regular hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and Anderson Burner offers after-hours emergency service. If you have no heat, call (763) 204-2830 instead of using the website form.

Why did my furnace stop working when it got really cold?

Very cold snaps are when weak parts fail because the furnace runs almost nonstop. Blocked exhaust vents from snow and ice are also common in Minnesota winters. A tech can tell you which it is.

My oil tank ran out. Will the heat come back on by itself after delivery?

Often it won't. When an oil system runs dry, air gets into the fuel line and the burner usually needs to be bled and restarted by a technician.

How fast can you get to a no-heat call in East Bethel?

East Bethel is our home base, so it's usually our quickest drive. No-heat calls get priority across our North Metro service area.

Is it safe to keep resetting my furnace?

One reset is fine. If it keeps shutting off, stop resetting it and call for service, because repeated lockouts usually mean a safety control is doing its job.