North County winters are mild, but December nights in Fallbrook still drop to around 41°F, and a house without heat gets cold fast. Fallbrook Heating & Air has handled furnace repair in Fallbrook and the surrounding communities since 1972. We work on natural gas and propane furnaces, wall and floor furnaces, and heat pumps, all makes and models, and we explain what failed before we fix it. You get the price before any repair starts; a diagnostic visit is $99, credited toward the repair if you go ahead.
Smell gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding? Do not touch the furnace, light switches or the thermostat. Get everyone out of the house, then call SDG&E (or your propane supplier) or 911 from outside. Do not go back in until the gas company or fire department says it is safe. Once the home is cleared, call us to repair the cause.
No heat? What can you safely check first?
Start with the simple things: make sure the thermostat is set to Heat and above room temperature, replace a clogged filter, confirm the furnace power switch is on and the breaker has not tripped, and check that the furnace door panel is fully closed. If those are fine, stop there and call a technician.
Not sure what's wrong?
Try our quick troubleshooter →- Thermostat. Set to Heat, a few degrees above the room temperature. Replace weak batteries; a dim display can stop the call for heat.
- Filter. A badly clogged filter can overheat the furnace and trip its high-limit safety, which shuts the burners off.
- Power. Furnaces have a light-switch-style service switch near the unit, often mistaken for a light. Make sure it is on, and check the breaker.
- Door panel. A safety switch keeps the furnace off if the blower door is not seated properly. Press it firmly closed.
- Error code. Most modern furnaces have a small blinking light visible through a window in the panel. Note the blink pattern; it helps us diagnose faster.
Please do not remove burner covers, bypass switches or try to relight a modern furnace by hand. Our furnace troubleshooting guide covers more symptoms in detail.
Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
A furnace blowing cold air usually means the blower is running but the burners are not, or they light and then shut off. Common causes are a thermostat set to fan On, a dirty flame sensor, a failed igniter, an overheating safety tripping, or, on high-efficiency furnaces, a blocked condensate drain or vent.
First check that the thermostat fan setting is on Auto, not On; with On, the blower runs whether the furnace is heating or not. If it is set correctly and the air is still cold, the furnace is likely failing its startup sequence and needs a technician.
What heating problems do we repair?
We repair gas furnaces and heat pumps of all makes and models. Typical repairs include igniters, flame sensors, gas valves, inducer and blower motors, pressure switches, control boards, limit switches, thermostats and condensate problems on high-efficiency furnaces, plus reversing valves and defrost controls on heat pumps.
- No heat, or heat that shuts off after a few minutes
- Furnace blowing cold or lukewarm air
- Short cycling: frequent on-off starts
- Loud bangs at ignition, squealing or rattling
- Water around a high-efficiency (PVC-vented) furnace
- Some rooms warm while others stay cold
- A heat pump that cools but will not heat, or ices up and stays iced
Furnaces here sit idle for most of the year. On the first cold night, dust on the flame sensor and burners, a weak igniter or a dried-out drain trap tends to show up all at once, which is why heating breakdowns bunch up on the first cold nights of the year.
What happens on a furnace repair visit?
The technician watches the furnace run through its startup sequence, reads any error code, and tests the parts involved: igniter, flame sensor, gas pressure, pressure switches, limits, blower and venting. Once the fault is found, you hear what failed and what the repair involves before work starts, and the furnace is retested afterward.
Because a gas furnace burns fuel inside your home, a repair visit is also a chance to look at the things that keep it safe: the vent connection, the flame, and the condition of the heat exchanger where it can be seen. If we find a safety problem, we tell you plainly and explain your options.
“Jack was very efficient and professional. Job well done!”
Do you repair propane, wall and floor furnaces?
Yes. Many rural homes in Fallbrook, De Luz and Rainbow have no natural-gas line and heat with propane, and we service, maintain and install propane furnaces. We also repair wall furnaces and floor furnaces, which are common in older homes and add-ons.
A propane furnace uses different gas pressures and orifices from a natural-gas one, so the burner set-up matters as much as the repair itself. If your propane supplier has recently swapped a tank or regulator and the furnace now runs poorly, mention it when you book.
What are "violation corrections"?
Violation corrections are repairs that bring a heating system back into line with code after an inspector, home inspector or utility flags a problem. Code requirements vary by city and county, so we look at what was flagged, recommend the corrections that bring your system up to code, and pull permits where required.
This often comes up during a home sale, when a buyer's inspection lists the furnace. We follow California code strictly, so the work is done to pass, not just to get the furnace running again.
Repair the furnace or replace it?
Repair is usually the right call for a single failed part on a furnace that is otherwise sound. Replacement is worth discussing when the heat exchanger is cracked, when the furnace is roughly twenty years old and needs an expensive part, or when you are already replacing the air conditioner that shares its blower and ductwork.
A cracked heat exchanger is a safety issue, not a judgment call: it can allow combustion gases into the airstream, and we will not leave a furnace running in that condition. If replacement makes sense, see our furnace replacement page for 80% and 96% efficient options, or compare a heat pump.
“They showed up on time, fixed the problem and were nice to deal with. I highly recommend them!!”
Where we work
We repair furnaces across North County, including the rural, often propane-heated homes of Rainbow, De Luz and Pala Mesa, Bonsall and Vista. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Our answering service takes calls 24/7, and we schedule visits during office hours. Call (760) 728-8716. And to avoid the first-cold-night rush next year, book a fall heating tune-up.
Frequently asked questions
Is a burning smell normal when I first turn on the heat?
A light dusty smell for the first several minutes of the season is normal; dust on the heat exchanger and burners is burning off. A smell that lasts, smells electrical or like hot plastic, or comes with smoke is not normal. Turn the furnace off and call us.
How often should a furnace be serviced in a mild climate?
Once a year, ideally in early fall before the first cold snap. Furnaces in North County sit unused for most of the year, so dust settles on burners and flame sensors and parts age without anyone noticing. A pre-season check catches those problems before you need the heat.
Do you repair heat pumps as well as gas furnaces?
Yes. We repair gas furnaces and heat pumps, all makes and models. Heat pumps share many parts with air conditioners but add a reversing valve and defrost controls, so a heat pump that cools fine but will not heat usually has a fault in one of those.
Why does my furnace start and then shut off after a few seconds?
The most common cause is a dirty flame sensor: the burners light, the control cannot confirm the flame, and it shuts the gas off for safety. A clogged filter causing overheating, or a blocked vent or condensate drain on high-efficiency furnaces, can do the same. Each needs a different fix.
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