Who to Call for Furnace Repair: A Hiring Guide

While many projects around the home are perfect for the plucky DIYer, repairing your furnace is not one of them. Who are you gonna call? A furnace repair professional in your area is the best bet. Let’s break down why furnace repair is a job best left to these pros.

Benefits of Hiring an HVAC Pro to Repair Your Furnace

There are two reasons why hiring an HVAC professional to repair your furnace is the right call to make.

Expertise

When you hire an HVAC professional to troubleshoot your furnace and repair it, you’re hiring someone who is an expert in that job. They will be able to fix the damage to your furnace fast and help give you tips for making sure your furnace works optimally for as long as it can.

Savings

If you tackle a job like repairing your furnace yourself, you might think it would save you cash, but very often, that’s not the case. An HVAC professional will save you money on repairs that may have to be made to make up for your novice efforts, however well-intentioned. The average cost to repair a furnace is around $300.

Can I Hire Another Pro to Repair a Furnace?

While general contractors can tackle this job, you are better off hiring someone with years of furnace repair experience. That kind of expertise only comes from an HVAC professional. If you decide to hire someone else who isn’t as qualified but who quoted you a lower price, you’re running the risk of them causing more harm than good.

How Do HVAC Pros Repair Furnaces?

When the HVAC pro that you have hired comes to your home to tackle your furnace repair, they will likely do a complete systems check of your HVAC systems to help identify the problem and rule out others. With this done, they will set to work repairing your furnace.

The repairs they will make depend on the issue with your furnace. If your furnace isn’t igniting, they may need to replace the ignition components. If there is a leaky duct, they will identify it and repair it. Make sure your pro gives you a detailed breakdown of the problem they have identified and how they will set about fixing it.

Can I DIY Furnace Repair?

Because your furnace is such an essential component of your home, you should hire an HVAC professional to tackle big, important repairs. If you’re confident in your HVAC knowledge, you may be able to repair simple furnace problems on your own. Here are a few maintenance tasks that DIYers can do: 

• Replacing furnace filters

• Flushing drain lines

• Keeping exhaust flues clear

• Checking for blocked or leaky air ducts

• Clearing leaves from exhaust and intake vents

• Vacuuming the burners

How Do I Find Someone to Fix My Furnace?

If you’ve exhausted the list of DIY furnace repairs or are simply uncomfortable with any repair work on your own, then it’s time to call in a professional. You can start by researching furnace repair specialists, which are typically HVAC companies, in your area with a quick online search. You can also ask friends and family who live nearby for recommendations. Once you have a few names then you can set up appointments to have each company come out and give you a diagnosis and estimate. 

Compare vital information from each of the companies, including their diagnosis, the repair estimate, any warranties available, and the estimated time frame. Once you have the information side by side from a few companies, then you’ll likely find one that you’re comfortable with and hopefully within budget.