Furnace Repair
Furnace keeps shutting off, blowing cool air or refusing to start? We work through the system in the order it makes heat, find where things went wrong and fix the part causing the problem instead of guessing from the symptom.
4.8★ from 240+ Google reviews
Heating Services 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.
- You hear what failed
- Fixed before replaced
- Safe to run again
When the Heat Stops Working Properly
Heating season here is short enough that a struggling system can limp through most of it, but long enough that it'll be asked for everything at least once. A house in Hyattsville or District Heights runs fine through November, until the first real cold night hits and the rooms farthest from the furnace stop keeping up. Older DMV houses feel it first, because the duct runs reaching those rooms were usually added later, and they travel through spaces nobody bothers to heat.
At Nero's Heating & Air we work on furnaces, heat pumps, and radiators across Washington, DC and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Whether your furnace won't stay lit, your heat pump runs constantly, or one floor just never warms up, we start with testing, not a quote. By the end, you'll know exactly which part failed, whether it's safe to keep running, and what it'll actually take to fix it.
| Stat | What it means for your heat |
|---|---|
| 14 to 21°F | The coldest night your heating is sized for, across DC, Prince George's and Montgomery. |
| 90 to 110°F | Air off a working heat pump. Cooler than a furnace, and cooler than your hand. |
| 400+ | Americans killed each year by carbon monoxide that had nothing to do with a fire. |
| 95% AFUE | The federal minimum for gas furnaces built after December 2028, so today's models will not carry over. |
Every Heating System, One DMV Heating Contractor
Most DMV houses run on one of four kinds of heating: a gas furnace, a heat pump, a boiler with radiators or a ductless system. One technician covers all of them, so you never have to find a specialist for the equipment you happen to have.
Furnace Installation & Replacement
Sometimes another repair is still worth it. Sometimes the furnace has had enough. When replacement makes more sense, we size the new system around your home, airflow and ductwork rather than simply copying whatever was there before.
Furnace Maintenance
A furnace problem is much easier to deal with before the first freezing night. We check the burners, flame sensor, venting, safety controls and other wear points so developing issues have a chance to show themselves before winter is doing the testing for you.
Heat Pumps & Ductless Heating
Want heating without relying on one big ducted system? Heat pumps can handle both heating and cooling, while ductless mini-splits work well for additions, converted rooms and spaces that never seem comfortable. We install, repair and maintain both.
Water Heaters
A cold shower usually gets your attention fast. Whether the tank is leaking, the water is not staying hot or a tankless unit is acting up, we can repair the problem, maintain the system or replace it when that makes more sense.
Boilers & Radiators
Radiator cold at the top? One room warming while another stays chilly? Hydronic systems have their own way of showing trouble. We service boilers and radiators, including the bleeding and balancing work that helps heat move more evenly through the home.
24/7 Emergency Heating
Heat rarely waits for business hours to quit. If the system goes down at night or over the weekend, you can still reach a real person. We check availability, explain the after-hours fee upfront and let you know what the next step looks like before anyone is dispatched.
Where you go from here depends on what the heat is doing. If the heat is out, book a furnace or heat pump repair. If you've accepted the system needs replacing, compare a furnace against a heat pump. If the house is getting colder tonight, call our 24/7 emergency line instead of filling out a form.
What Will a Heating Visit Cost?
Heating covers several different machines, so the range is wide and the starting point is not. Our diagnostic is $75 and is waived on the repair, while Sunday, after-hours and rooftop visits are $169 and are not waived.
From there, the cost depends on which system you have and what the test finds. Controls and sensors sit at the low end of the range no matter the equipment; motors, valves, and anything touching combustion or refrigerant sit well above them. Replacement is quoted separately and in writing, and signing it fixes the number. A maintenance agreement covering a heating visit and a cooling visit is $150 for the year.
- $150 a heating visit and a cooling visit
- $169 Sunday, after-hours and rooftop visits
Gas Furnace or Heat Pump? Let Your House Decide
Both Work Here. Your Ducts Pick the Winner.
Both heat a DMV house properly. Which one suits yours depends on what fuel already reaches it, what condition the ducts are in, and how the house behaves on the handful of nights that actually get cold. What we will not do is talk a household out of a gas furnace that still works, when the ducts and returns feeding it were never sized to move the larger volume of cooler air a heat pump needs.
| Gas furnace | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the heat comes from | Burning gas in a heat exchanger inside the house | Moving heat in from outdoor air, even when that air is cold |
| What comes out of the vents | Around 125°F, hot to the hand and quick to register | 90 to 110°F, below body temperature, so it reads as cool while still heating |
| What it asks of your ducts | Less. Hot air means less volume for the same heat | More. Cooler air means more of it, and a restricted return shows up fast |
| On the coldest nights | Same output at 15°F as at 45°F | Output falls as the air cools, and electric backup strips make up the rest |
| What it needs from the house | A gas line, and a flue that can vent combustion safely | Electrical capacity for the outdoor unit and the backup strips |
| The catch | Combustion, so venting and the heat exchanger get checked every year | Backup heat is expensive to run, so a long cold spell shows on the bill |
Before You Pick a Heating Contractor
What We Do That You Can Check
You get a diagnosis, not a replacement quote.
Someone arriving to look at your heat should be able to tell you what stopped working and leave the decision with you. Nero's Heating & Air prices the repair where the repair holds, and where it stops holding we show you our work rather than the conclusion.
One company covers whatever your house runs on.
Plenty of DMV homes heat with something other than a furnace, and older rowhouses and pre-war buildings often still run hot water and radiators. Nero's Heating & Air services furnaces, heat pumps, boilers and radiators, so the system you have does not decide who you can call.
You reach a person when the heat goes out at night.
Nero's Heating & Air is a local company rather than a dispatch desk, and the owner is in the work, including the calls that come in after hours. Those visits carry a fee, and we tell you about it before anyone is sent.
Your Heating Visit, Start to Finish
- Step 1.
You tell us what the heat is doing.
Which rooms, since when, and whether the system is failing to start or failing to keep up. Those are different faults and the answer changes what the technician brings.
- Step 2.
We follow the system's own sequence.
A furnace is tested in the order it makes heat, from the call through ignition to airflow and the safety controls. A heat pump is tested through the reversing valve and defrost instead.
- Step 3.
You hear what we found before any money moves.
Repair estimates are written whenever you want them in writing, so ask and you get one. On a new system the written estimate is standard, and signing it fixes the price.
- Step 4.
We run it through a full cycle before leaving.
Heat on, heat off, and the safeties proved rather than assumed. Repairs carry a 30-day labor warranty, installations a year, and we check back around six months later.
Our Heating Coverage Across the Region
Winter does not arrive in one town at a time, so a cold snap fills the schedule right across the region at once. The list below is where our heating work takes us most often, grouped the way we actually route it. It is not a fence. If your town is missing and you are close to one that is on it, the call is worth making rather than assuming the answer.
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 a Heating Visit Booked
Which Heating Visit Are You Booking
Three different things get booked through the same number. Something has gone wrong and needs testing, the system has reached the end and you want it priced properly, or somebody has already told you to replace it and you want that checked before you spend. Say which one when you call and the visit is set up for it.
If You Are Getting a Second Opinion
Bring the other quote. Tell us what you were told and by whom, then we test the system ourselves and tell you whether we reach the same conclusion. Sometimes we do.
If the Heat Is Off Tonight
Call rather than use the form, so we can hear how cold the house already is and what the system is doing. You will hear what we can do, when, and what the visit costs.
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
Often the building rather than the equipment. Air leaking at rim joists, attic hatches and old sash windows pulls cold inward faster than correctly working heat can replace it.
No. Closed supply vents raise pressure in the ductwork, push more air out through leaks on the way, and can starve a furnace of the airflow its heat exchanger needs.
For a short spell only, kept well clear of furniture and plugged straight into an outlet rather than an extension cord. Space heaters cause most heating fire deaths.
Not usually. Dropping it 7 to 10 degrees while you sleep trims roughly a tenth off the bill. One exception: a heat pump, where recovery wakes its costly backup strips.
Auto is cheaper, since the blower only turns over while something is being made. Continuous evens temperatures between floors and filters more, and you pay for the motor turning.
