⚠️ Smell gas? Leave the house first, then call your gas utility's emergency line or 911 from outside. Never flip switches or use your phone inside with a gas smell.
⌂Rowhome Ready

🌡️ No Heat / No AC

About half of "my heat died" calls end without a repair. Run the free checks first.

People first: extreme cold and heat are dangerous for babies, elders, and anyone with heart or lung conditions. If someone is in distress, that's 911 — not an HVAC call. In a heat emergency or deep freeze, your city may open cooling/warming centers (see your city page for utility and city service numbers).

1The free checks (do these before calling anyone)

  • Thermostat: set to HEAT (or COOL), 5° past room temperature. Replace the batteries — dead thermostat batteries are a classic.
  • Breaker panel: look for a tripped breaker (handle in the middle). Flip fully OFF, then ON. Furnaces and AC units often have their own breaker.
  • Furnace switch: most furnaces have a light-switch-looking service switch on or near them. Make sure nobody flipped it.
  • Filter: a clogged filter can shut a system down on safety limits. If it looks like a lint blanket, replace it.
  • Gas heat: is other gas working (stove)? If nothing gas works, call your gas utility, not a contractor.
  • Radiators/boiler: check the boiler's pressure gauge and any error code; note it — don't tinker beyond that.
  • AC: check the outdoor unit is running and not caked in cottonwood fluff; if the indoor coil is iced, turn the system OFF and the fan ON — it can't cool through ice.

✕What not to do

  • Never heat a home with a gas oven, grill, or generator indoors — carbon monoxide kills quietly. Make sure your CO alarm has a working battery tonight.
  • Don't repeatedly reset a breaker that keeps tripping — that's a fault, not an inconvenience.
  • Don't authorize a full system replacement during the emergency visit. Get the failed part diagnosis in writing and quote it separately.
  • Don't run space heaters on extension cords or power strips.

📷What to document

  • Any error code blinking on the furnace/boiler (photo or video of the blink pattern).
  • The system's make, model, and age (label is usually inside the front panel — photograph it before the visit; it helps with parts).
  • What you already checked, so you don't pay a diagnostic fee for "the thermostat batteries."
  • If you rent: your written notice to the landlord, dated. No-heat conditions have legal timelines in many cities.

?Questions to ask an HVAC contractor

  • "What's the diagnostic fee, and does it apply to the repair?"
  • "Is the failed part under manufacturer warranty?" (Many parts are for 5–10 years — ask before paying full price.)
  • "Repair vs. replace: what's the honest remaining life here?"
  • "Are you registered/licensed here?" — verify: PA · MD · NJ.
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Educational disclaimer: Rowhome Ready is an educational directory, not an emergency dispatcher. We make no guarantees about any business's availability or response time. Confirm hours, pricing, insurance, and licensing directly.