Furnace Repair in Murrieta, CA & Surrounding Areas

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my furnace turn on and then shut off after a few minutes?

That pattern is called short cycling. The usual causes are a dirty filter or blocked return restricting airflow, a flame sensor coated in residue, or a failing limit switch shutting the unit down on high temperature. A dirty flame sensor is one of the most common causes and one of the least expensive to fix. The sequence tells the story: the furnace lights, runs briefly, then a safety control ends the cycle before the house warms. Repeated short cycles stress the igniter and heat exchanger and burn gas without delivering heat, so it is worth resolving early. Start with a fresh filter and open registers; if the pattern continues, the sensor or switch needs a technician's meter.

I smell gas near the furnace. Is that an emergency?

Yes. Leave the house, do not use light switches or phones inside, and call the gas utility from outside. Once the area is safe we can handle the repair. Natural gas has odorant added precisely so a leak announces itself, and taking the smell seriously is never an overreaction. Anything that can spark, including a light switch or a phone call made inside the house, is the risk while gas is present, which is why the safe order is leave first, call second. We also provide gas leak detection and emergency gas leak repair.

How long should a furnace last?

A well maintained gas furnace typically runs 15 to 20 years. Systems in our area often see lighter heating loads than colder climates, which can extend that, but annual inspection still matters for safety, particularly for the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is the component that sets the safety timeline: it separates combustion gases from the air the blower circulates through your rooms, and a crack in it can let carbon monoxide into that airstream. Annual inspection exists mostly to catch that condition while it is still theoretical. See heating maintenance.

Do you service furnaces you did not install?

Yes. We repair and maintain furnaces regardless of brand or who installed them, for both homes and commercial properties. Brand does not change the fundamentals: gas valves, igniters, flame sensors, limit switches and blower motors work the same way across manufacturers, and we carry the diagnostic tools and common parts for all of them. If a part has to be ordered for an unusual unit we say so up front, along with what it will take to keep the house heated in the meantime. The visit ends with the same up front diagnosis and price whichever brand is on the label.

My furnace pilot light keeps going out. What causes that?

On an older furnace with a standing pilot, the usual cause is a worn thermocouple. That is the small safety sensor sitting in the pilot flame whose job is to prove a flame is present; as it weakens it stops signaling and the gas valve shuts the pilot down as designed. It is an inexpensive part. The next most common cause is a dirty pilot orifice, which produces a weak or yellow flame that cannot heat the thermocouple properly. A healthy pilot is a steady blue flame that wraps the tip of the sensor. Drafts near the burner compartment and a blocked flue can also blow or starve the pilot, and a blocked flue is a combustion safety issue rather than a nuisance. Newer furnaces mostly use electronic ignition instead of a standing pilot, so repeated lockouts on those are a different diagnostic that points at the flame sensor or igniter. If you smell gas at any point, treat it as the emergency described above and call from outside the house.