The blower runs but the air stays cool.
The burners may not be lighting, or a safety may have shut them off deliberately.
4.8★ from 240+ Google reviews
Furnace Repair for Homes Across the DMV
Serving Washington, DC, Prince George's County, Montgomery County & Northern Virginia, including Upper Marlboro, Hyattsville, District Heights and Silver Spring.
- Fault found, not guessed
- Price approved first
- Flue and safety checked
Why Furnaces Fail in DMV Winters
Winter here is not severe so much as long and changeable. A cold night followed by a mild afternoon means your furnace spends the season starting and stopping rather than running, and starting is the part of the job that wears components out. In older Hyattsville and District Heights basements, that wear shows up first on the ignition and safety parts
Nero's Heating & Air repairs gas furnaces across Prince George's County, Montgomery County and Washington, DC. If yours is blowing cool air, cutting out a minute after it lights or not lighting at all, we follow the startup sequence step by step until it stops, instead of guessing from the symptom. You end up knowing which step it stopped on, what that part costs, and whether this furnace is worth another season.
| Stat | What it means in your house |
|---|---|
| 15 to 20 winters | The usual service life of a gas furnace before replacing starts to make more sense than repairing. |
| 30 to 60°F | A rise range printed on your furnace label. Above it, airflow is the fault. |
| 1 cleaning a year | What a flame sensor needs, and a coated one is the most common no-heat call. |
| 90 percent | Above this efficiency a furnace vents through a wall and drains condensate. |
What a Failing Furnace Does First
A furnace rarely stops without saying something first. Some of what follows shows up as heat that never arrives, some as heat that arrives and then quits, and some as a noise or a smell that was not there last winter. What it does narrows down where in the startup sequence to look, which is why the detail is worth writing down before you call.
It lights, then drops out a minute later.
Often a flame sensor that can no longer prove to the furnace that a flame is there.
It starts and stops repeatedly on the coldest days.
Restricted airflow can overheat the cabinet, and the limit switch then cuts the burners.
A boom or a whoosh when the burners catch.
Gas may be collecting briefly before it ignites, which is worth looking at promptly.
Soot marks, or a lazy yellow flame instead of blue.
Combustion may be off, and that is a safety check rather than a parts question.
A rattle or grinding that keeps going after the burners stop.
An inducer or blower bearing can be wearing, and it usually gets louder.
How Much Does Furnace Repair Cost?
A flame sensor and a gas valve both end with a cold house, and they do not end with the same bill, which is why the figure comes after the test rather than over the phone. Our diagnostic is $75 and is waived on the repair, while Sunday, after-hours and rooftop visits are $169 and are not waived. You hear which of the two applies before anyone is dispatched.
Once the fault is found you see the repair price in full, and nothing is ordered or started until you have agreed to it. Written estimates on repairs are yours for the asking. Repairs carry a 30-day warranty, and if a new furnace has become the better use of your money, we'll say so and price that instead.
When Is a Furnace Worth Repairing?
It Depends on What Broke, Not How Old It Is
Age tells you when a furnace was installed. It doesn't tell you whether it's worth fixing. That comes down to which part failed and what it costs next to the value of the furnace around it. A healthy twenty-year-old furnace with a simple ignition fault gets repaired, not replaced.
| What failed | What that usually means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Flame sensor, igniter or a limit switch | A wear item near the front of the startup sequence | It gets replaced, often on the same visit, whatever the furnace's age |
| Inducer motor, pressure switch or gas valve | A bigger part, and the first one worth weighing against the furnace's years | We price it, then show you what that money buys on this particular furnace |
| Blower motor or control board | Expensive enough that a furnace past fifteen changes the answer. | You get both figures, the repair and the replacement, before you decide |
| A cracked heat exchanger | A combustion safety failure rather than a repair decision | We shut it down and tell you not to run it. This is not one we sell you a repair for |
Choosing Who Works on a Gas Furnace
Why the Combustion Side Gets Checked Too
You get the fault named before you get a price.
Nero's Heating & Air works through the startup sequence until a reading shows where the fault is, then explains it in plain words. A furnace has too many ways of failing for the symptom alone to settle it.
The license number is on the page for you to check.
Nero's Heating & Air holds Maryland HVAC/R license HVAC R 47671, a Master HVAC license and EPA 608 certification, and carries general liability and workers' compensation coverage. Look the number up before you book anybody, us included.
The safety side gets looked at, not only the part that stopped.
Before Nero's Heating & Air calls a furnace fixed, the flame, the venting draft and the limit and safety switches are checked as well. A furnace that runs again and a furnace that is safe to run are two different findings.
From a Cold House to Working Heat
- Step 1.
You tell us what it is doing.
When it started, what changed just before, and whether it is silent, noisy or running without heat. That is where the technician begins, before any panel comes off.
- Step 2.
We follow the sequence until it fails.
Call for heat, inducer, pressure switch, igniter, flame proof, blower. Wherever it stops is where we test, instead of assuming.
- Step 3.
You see the repair before it happens.
What failed, what replacing it involves and what it costs. If the part has to come from a distributor, you hear that at the same time.
- Step 4.
We run it hot and check it before leaving.
The furnace completes full cycles, the temperature rise is measured against its own label, and the venting is checked while it is running.
Where We Take Furnace Calls
Furnace calls cluster into the first hard cold of the season, and they arrive from everywhere at once. The towns below stretch from the District down to the Calvert shoreline and across into Virginia. Somewhere near you but not named? Ask rather than assume. The edge of the list moves with the week.
Prince George’s County
- Cheverly
- Upper Marlboro
- Bowie
- Bladensburg
- New Carrollton
- Greenbelt
- Riverdale Park
- Hyattsville
- College Park
- Laurel
- District Heights
- Mount Rainier
- Oxon Hill
- Clinton
- Suitland
- Forest Heights
- Capitol Heights
- Lanham
- Largo
- Glenarden
- National Harbor
- Fort Washington
Charles County
- Waldorf
- La Plata
- Indian Head
Southern Maryland
- Lusby
- Chesapeake Beach
- North Beach
- Dunkirk
- Owings
- Huntingtown
- Prince Frederick
- Solomons
- California
- Saint Leonard
Northern Virginia
- Alexandria
- Arlington
- Falls Church
- Fairfax
- Fairfax City
- Vienna
- Springfield
- Burke
- Annandale
- Reston
- McLean
- Tysons
- Woodbridge
- Dumfries
- Occoquan
- Manassas Park
Getting Heat Back On Faster
What to Have Ready When You Call
Have the furnace brand and rough age on hand, plus a photo of the label inside the door if you can get one. Tell us what it is doing and what it did just before. Scheduling is usually same or next day depending on where the day's route has already taken the technicians, and you get a confirmation with the appointment details once it is booked.
If You Can Smell Gas, Do Not Call Us First
Leave the house, then call the gas utility or 911 from outside. A gas smell is never a diagnostic question and never something to troubleshoot indoors. Call us once the utility has made it safe.
Deciding Whether It Can Wait Until Morning
A house that is cold but holding, with no smell and no noise, is usually a standard appointment. The after-hours fee above applies to Sundays and evenings and is not waived, so we tell you it before dispatch and you decide.
Gallery
Reviews
4.8“Nero’s Heating & Air saved me in a pinch. I called and within an hour Julian was at my door and fixed my heat within 5 minutes. Unbelievable customer service. Very grateful for the quick response. Highly recommend to others.”
Caleb Hart
FAQs
The control board logs its own fault as a blink pattern, readable through the sight glass. The code list is printed inside the door, and it differs by manufacturer.
Dust settles on the heat exchanger over summer and burns off at the first heating cycle. It should clear in an hour or two, not linger for days.
Outside each sleeping area and on every level including the basement, wherever there is fuel-burning equipment or an attached garage. Maryland requires them in rental dwellings, and counties add their own rules.
Sustained outdoor temperatures near 20 degrees put unheated pipes at risk, sometimes inside six hours. Keeping the house above 55 degrees is the usual advice, and dripping a faucet helps.
It can. Most manufacturers reserve the right to deny a claim tied to neglect, so keep the receipt from each visit. Undocumented service is the same as none.
