No Heat in Calgary? When to Call for 24-Hour Furnace Repair

The short answer

Call for 24-hour furnace repair in Calgary when the furnace has stopped heating and the house is losing temperature on a cold night, when you smell gas or your carbon monoxide alarm sounds (after you have left the home and called for help), or when the furnace is making a loud new noise, giving off a burning smell, or shutting itself off over and over. If the furnace is still heating but something seems off, a daytime repair visit is usually the better choice.

The difference matters because an after-hours call is about safety and keeping the house warm, not about convenience. This guide walks through how to tell an emergency from a problem that can wait, what to do in the first few minutes, what to tell the company you call, and how to choose a 24-hour team in Calgary. If you already know you need help, our emergency furnace repair in Calgary team is available around the clock for furnace repair.

Is it a furnace emergency? A quick way to decide

Most homeowners hesitate before calling after hours, and that is reasonable. A simple test helps: is anyone at risk, and will the house get dangerously cold before a normal appointment is possible?

Treat it as an emergency and call now when:

• The furnace has stopped heating and it is cold outside. In a Calgary cold snap, a house can lose several degrees an hour once the furnace stops. If the temperature inside is dropping and it will be well below freezing overnight, waiting until morning puts people, pets and water pipes at risk.
• You smell gas. Leave the home first. Do not switch lights or appliances on or off, and do not try to find the leak. Call your gas utility or 911 from outside, and call a furnace technician only once the utility has made the home safe.
• Your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm sounds. Leave the home and call 911 from outside. Do not go back in until emergency responders say it is safe.
• There is a burning or electrical smell that does not fade after the first few minutes of the season, or you see scorch marks, smoke or melted wiring near the furnace.
• The furnace is making a loud new bang, boom or grinding sound, or it keeps starting and shutting down every few minutes.
• Someone in the home is vulnerable to cold: a newborn, an older relative, or anyone with a health condition made worse by cold.

It can usually wait for a daytime appointment when:

• The furnace is still heating, but some rooms are cooler than others.
• The furnace makes a new but quiet sound and is otherwise running normally.
• Your heating bill has gone up, or the furnace seems to run longer than it used to.
• It is a mild day and the house is holding its temperature.
• You simply want a furnace checked before winter. That is a job for a furnace tune-up, not an emergency call.

When you are unsure, call and describe what is happening. A good 24-hour team will tell you honestly whether it needs someone tonight or can be booked for the next day.

Safety first: gas smells and carbon monoxide

Gas and carbon monoxide problems come before everything else, including the furnace itself.

Health Canada's carbon monoxide guidance lists heating appliances "such as a furnace" among the common sources of CO in a home. Its advice if a CO alarm sounds is short and clear: "Leave the building immediately," "Call 9-1-1" and "Do not re-enter." It also lists the mild effects of CO exposure as tiredness, headaches and shortness of breath. Those symptoms are easy to mistake for a cold or the flu, especially if several people in the home feel unwell at the same time.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Never ignore a CO alarm because the furnace "seems fine." Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour, which is why the alarm is there.
• Do not restart a furnace that has been shut down for a gas or CO concern until a qualified gas technician has inspected it.
• Make sure you have working CO alarms. Health Canada recommends a certified CO alarm near bedrooms and having your furnace checked every year.

Once the home is safe and emergency responders or the gas utility have cleared it, a furnace technician can find and fix the cause.

What to check before you call

If there is no gas smell and no CO alarm, a few simple checks can save you a call, or at least give the technician useful information. None of these involve opening the furnace.

1. Thermostat. Make sure it is set to Heat, set a few degrees above room temperature, and has working batteries if it uses them. A blank screen often means dead batteries or a tripped breaker.
2. Breaker and furnace switch. Check that the furnace breaker in your electrical panel has not tripped, and that the service switch near the furnace (it often looks like a light switch) is on.
3. Furnace door. Many furnaces will not run if the lower access panel is not fully closed, because a safety switch keeps them off.
4. Air filter. A badly clogged filter can make a furnace overheat and shut itself off. If the filter is grey and caked with dust, replace it.
5. Outdoor vents. On a high-efficiency furnace, the white plastic intake and exhaust pipes outside can get blocked by drifting snow or ice. Clear any snow gently by hand.

If the furnace still will not heat after these checks, stop there. Repeatedly resetting a furnace that keeps shutting down can hide a real fault, and parts such as the ignition system, gas valve and flame sensor should be handled by a licensed technician. Our guide to what to do when your furnace stops working covers the same safe checks in more detail.

What to tell the company when you call

A clear description helps the technician arrive prepared and helps the company decide how urgent the call is. Have this ready:

• Your address and the best phone number to reach you.
• What the furnace is doing: no heat at all, blowing cold air, starting and stopping, making a noise, or giving off a smell.
• When it started, and whether anything happened first, such as a power outage, a recent filter change or a heavy snowfall.
• The inside temperature right now, and whether anyone in the home is vulnerable to cold.
• Whether you have smelled gas or had a CO alarm. If you have, make sure the utility or emergency services have already been called.
• The furnace's approximate age and type, if you know it. The model sticker is usually inside the lower door, but do not open the furnace to find it if that makes you uneasy.
• Where the furnace is and how easy it is to reach, such as an unfinished basement, a crawl space or a utility closet.

It is also fair to ask a few questions of your own before the technician sets out. Ask how the call-out is priced after hours, whether you will get a price for the repair before work starts, and roughly when someone can arrive.

How to choose a 24-hour furnace repair company in Calgary

Searching for help in the middle of the night makes it tempting to call the first number you see. A few minutes of checking makes a big difference.

• Licensed and insured for gas work. Furnace repair involves gas appliances, and in Alberta that work should be done by a qualified gas technician. Ask whether the company is licensed and insured.
• Truly available after hours. Some companies advertise round-the-clock service but only take messages overnight. Ask whether a technician can actually come out tonight.
• Clear pricing before work starts. You should know how the visit is charged and get a price for the repair before the technician begins. Be cautious about vague answers.
• A written warranty on repairs. Ask what the repair warranty covers and for how long.
• Honest advice on repair versus replacement. An emergency call is not the time to be pressured into a new furnace. A good technician will get you warm first and explain your options afterwards. If replacement does come up, our guide to the signs you need a furnace replacement can help you weigh it calmly.
• Local reviews. Recent reviews from Calgary-area homeowners tell you more than a slick website.

What happens on an emergency furnace repair visit

Knowing what to expect makes the visit less stressful.

• Safety check first. The technician will check for gas leaks and signs of carbon monoxide before working on the furnace.
• Diagnosis. They will look at the thermostat, power, ignition, flame sensor, gas supply, venting, blower and safety switches to find why the furnace stopped. Common causes of a winter no-heat call include a dirty flame sensor, a failed igniter, a blocked condensate drain or vent, a tripped limit switch from a clogged filter, and a worn blower motor.
• An explanation and a price. Before repairing anything, the technician should explain what they found and what it will cost.
• The repair, or a safe temporary fix. Many common parts can be replaced on the spot. If a part has to be ordered, the technician should make the system safe and explain the next steps.
• A test run. The furnace should be run through a full heating cycle to confirm it is working and venting safely.

Keeping warm while you wait in a Calgary cold snap

If the furnace is off and help is on the way, a few steps keep the house comfortable and protect it from the cold:

• Close interior doors and gather everyone in one or two rooms to hold the heat.
• Close curtains and blinds, and put towels against draughty doors.
• Use space heaters safely, if you have them: keep them well away from bedding, curtains and furniture, plug them straight into the wall, and never leave them running unattended.
• Never use a gas stove, oven, barbecue or camping heater to heat the home. These produce carbon monoxide.
• Protect your water pipes. If the house is getting very cold, open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls and let a tap drip slightly.
• Check on pets, and keep them in the warm room with you.

Preventing the next emergency call

Most no-heat calls in the middle of winter start as small problems that a routine visit would have caught. Changing the filter regularly, keeping outdoor vents clear of snow, and booking furnace maintenance every fall go a long way. Calgary's chinook swings and deep cold snaps are hard on furnaces, and a dirty flame sensor or a clogged condensate line is much easier to deal with on a planned visit in October than at 2 a. m. in January.

If your furnace is noisy, our guide to what furnace noises mean can help you decide whether it needs attention before winter.

Get 24/7 furnace repair in Calgary

Infinite Heating is a licensed and insured HVAC team based in Chestermere, serving Calgary and nearby communities since 2022. We offer 24/7 emergency furnace repair, we explain what we found and give you a clear price before any work begins, and furnace repairs carry a one-year parts and labour warranty.

If your furnace has stopped heating, learn more about emergency furnace repair in Calgary or contact us to get a technician on the way. You can also read more about our furnace repair service.

This general information does not replace an on-site assessment by a qualified professional or the manufacturer's instructions for your furnace. If you smell gas or your CO alarm sounds, leave the home and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.