Furnace & Heating Repair, Replacement and Installation in Opelika, AL

Gas, Electric or Heat Pump: What Heats Your Home?

The first question on any no-heat call is what kind of system you have, because each one fails in its own way. Here's how to tell them apart.

• Gas furnace: a flue pipe runs up through the roof or out a wall, a gas line with a shutoff valve feeds the unit, and you can sometimes see the burners through a small window. Common in older homes.
• Electric furnace: no flue and no gas line. It heats with electric resistance elements called heat strips. Simple, but costly to run through a long cold stretch.
• Heat pump with an air handler: the outdoor unit runs in winter as well as summer, with heat strips inside as backup. Very common in Lee County. Our Opelika heat pump and ductless page covers these systems.

Why Furnaces Quit on the First Cold Day

A furnace sits idle most of the year here. Dust settles on the flame sensor, and a part that was weakening last winter finally gives out on its first startup. Most no-heat repairs we make in Opelika fall into this list. If yours won't start at all, our guide to a furnace that won't turn on explains the usual causes, and our furnace repair page covers the full service.

• Dirty or worn flame sensor: the burners light, then shut off a few seconds later.
• Cracked hot surface igniter: the inducer fan runs, but the burners never light.
• Pressure switch or inducer motor trouble, often caused by a blocked vent or a cracked hose.
• High limit switch tripping because of a clogged filter or blocked returns, so the burners cut out early.
• Blower motor or capacitor failure: the furnace makes heat but no air moves through the house.
• Clogged condensate trap or drain on a high-efficiency furnace, which shuts the unit down.
• Control board or thermostat wiring faults, often after a power surge.

Gas Heat Safety Comes First

If you smell gas, don't touch light switches or the thermostat. Leave the house, then call your gas company or 911 from outside. Don't go back in until they tell you it's safe.

Every home with gas heat should have working carbon monoxide alarms. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends one on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Test them, and replace them on the manufacturer's schedule.

Don't remove burner covers or keep relighting a furnace that shuts itself down. Those shutdowns are often a safety control doing its job. On every gas furnace call, we check the burners, venting and heat exchanger, and we'll show you what we find. Our gas furnace and carbon monoxide safety guide has more detail.

When a New Furnace Makes More Sense

Most of the time, a furnace repair is the right call. Replacement makes sense in a few specific situations, and we'll be clear about which one you're in.

On a replacement, we size the new furnace with a Manual J load calculation, make sure the venting suits the furnace type, and check gas pressure and temperature rise at startup. A high-efficiency condensing furnace needs PVC venting and a condensate drain, so the choice between standard and high efficiency depends on your house as much as the price. See furnace installation for the details, and our financing page for help with larger projects.

Replacement is usually the better choice when:

• The heat exchanger is cracked. A crack can let combustion gases into the air you breathe, and on an older furnace it almost always means replacement.
• The furnace is old, parts are getting hard to find, and this is the second or third major repair in a few winters.
• Your AC is being replaced, and the old furnace blower or cabinet won't properly match the new coil.
• Some rooms never heat evenly because the furnace was sized wrong from the start.

Heating Opelika's Older and Newer Homes

Where the furnace sits changes the job. In older homes, including many around downtown and the historic districts, we find furnaces in crawlspaces, hall closets and attics with tight access, along with older flue pipes that need a close look whenever the equipment changes. Newer homes in Opelika's growing subdivisions usually have the furnace or air handler in the attic or a garage closet, often paired with a heat pump.

Mild winters mean a Lee County furnace runs far fewer hours than one up north, so condition matters more than age. Our heating repair visits cover gas, electric and heat pump systems.

Booking Heating Service in Opelika

The first cold snap of the year brings a wave of calls across Lee County. We drive up from Phenix City on US-280/431, same-day service is possible when the schedule allows, and weekend service is available by call at +1 (327) 210-5999.

The best way to avoid a no-heat morning is a fall tune-up: cleaning the flame sensor, checking the igniter, testing the safety controls and inspecting the heat exchanger. Our maintenance plan includes a heating visit every fall.