A furnace gives you warning. Short cycling, a smell on the first cold night, a room that never warms up. Tell us what it's doing and we'll tell you whether it's a part or a replacement. SwiftPro covers Reston for furnace repair, and somebody answers the phone at two in the morning in January.
(703) 997-9757
What you'd notice, and what it usually means
It starts, runs a minute, shuts off, starts again: That's short cycling. Usually a clogged filter, a dirty flame sensor or a blocked flue, and it is hard on every other part in the furnace while it goes on.
A burning smell on the first cold night: Dust burning off the heat exchanger, and normal for the first hour of the season. A smell that stays, or one that's sharp rather than dusty, is not.
Banging or a boom when it lights: A boom on ignition is gas pooling before it catches. That one gets looked at now, not next week.
Cold air from the vents, or one cold room: Blowing cold points at the ignition or the flame sensor. One cold room with the rest of the house fine is usually ducts.
(703) 997-9757
Why it's worth dealing with now
Furnaces fail on the coldest night of the year: Also not bad luck. The part that was marginal in November is the part that gives up in January, and that's the night everybody else is calling too.
A cracked heat exchanger isn't a comfort problem: Carbon monoxide has no smell. Any furnace past about fifteen years with soot, a wavering flame or headaches in the house gets that checked, and we shut one down if it needs shutting down.
The cheap fix is usually still on the table in October: A flame sensor, a filter, an igniter. Left running, short cycling cooks the blower motor and the control board, and then it's a different conversation entirely.
(703) 997-9757
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SwiftPro offers emergency furnace repair, system diagnostics, part replacements, and seasonal maintenance. We ensure Reston properties stay safe and warm throughout the winter.