Emergency Furnace Repair in Charleston, SC

Smell gas or hear a carbon monoxide alarm? Stop reading, leave the building and call 911 or your gas utility's emergency line from outside. Everyone else: emergency furnace repair in Charleston starts with a call to (831) 461-3437. Aero Air Techs shows as open 24 hours on Google, every day of the week.

Repair always comes after safety, and that order does not change for any contractor. Once the danger is ruled out, or if you only have a cold house, we will tell you when someone can reach you and how to stay warm in the meantime.

Gas smell, CO alarm or a plain no heat emergency?

Sort the problem first, because the first call you make depends on it.

What you notice	Who to call first	What to do
Gas smell	911 or your gas utility, from outside	Leave now. Do not touch switches or the thermostat
CO alarm sounding	911, from outside	Get everyone out. Stay out until responders clear it
Headache, dizziness or nausea in several people	911	Leave and say carbon monoxide may be involved
Burning smell or a loud bang from the furnace	Us, or 911 for smoke or flame	Thermostat off, then switch off the unit
Furnace lights, then shuts off, again and again	Us	Leave it off after one reset
No heat, infant or older adult in the home	Us	Move everyone to the warmest room and call
No heat, freeze forecast	Us	Protect the pipes, then call
No heat, mild night, nobody at risk	Us, and ask about timing	Layers and blankets may carry you to morning

CPSC says to leave immediately and contact local gas authorities from outside, and PHMSA says to call from well away from the leak. CDC describes carbon monoxide symptoms as often flu-like: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. It also says infants, the elderly and people with chronic heart disease, anemia or breathing problems are more likely to get sick.

Do not go back in until responders say it is safe. Only then is it time to call about the furnace.

Furnace out at night: safe steps before you call

If there is no gas smell and no alarm, try these. Stop at the first thing that seems wrong.

1. Check the thermostat. Set it to Heat, a few degrees above the room. Replace dead batteries.
2. Check the breaker and the furnace switch. The switch often looks like a light switch on or near the unit. Reset a tripped breaker once.
3. Check the filter. A blocked filter can overheat a furnace and shut it down on a safety limit.
4. Check the door panel. A loose panel can hold a safety switch open.
5. Try one reset. If the furnace locks out again, leave it off and call.

Keep warm the safe way while you wait. CDC warns against heating a home with a gas oven because of carbon monoxide. CPSC says to keep space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn, plug them straight into a wall outlet and run generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house. Our no heat at night guide goes through each system type.

Many homes here have a heat pump and not a furnace. If yours is iced over, see heat pump repair.

Will a short cold snap freeze your pipes?

It can, and the risk here is higher than most people expect. Charleston sees only occasional freezes, so homes are not always built for them. Raised houses on piers may run water lines through open air under the floor, and those lines cool off fast with the heat out.

If the heat is out and a freeze is forecast, follow the Red Cross guidance.

• Let cold water drip from faucets on exposed lines.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets so room air reaches the plumbing.
• Keep the garage door shut if water lines run through it.
• Find your main water shutoff now, before you need it.

Never thaw a pipe with a torch or any open flame. Call a plumber for a frozen or split line, since that part of the job is not ours.

24 hour furnace repair: how we respond around the Lowcountry

Being open 24 hours means you can call at any hour. It does not put a technician at your door in a set time, so we will not print one here.

Our base is in Charleston, and we take urgent heater repair calls across the area around it, including Summerville, Goose Creek, Johns Island and Moncks Corner. A cold snap brings a lot of calls at once, and icy bridges can slow everyone down. Phone us and you will get a straight answer on when someone can reach your address. Longer trips are arranged by phone, so call first and we can confirm a date.

Cold reaches inland towns first, so the map matters on a freezing night. NWS freeze tables put the average first freeze at Summerville 4 W on November 12, against November 27 at the airport and December 30 downtown. Drive times are road estimates from our base on a clear run.

• Hanahan: about 18 minutes, our shortest trip.
• James Island: about 20 minutes. Post-war crawlspaces make exposed pipes the second thing to check.
• North Charleston: about 22 minutes, and the airport freeze date is measured inside the city.
• Ladson: about 26 minutes. The community spans three counties, so give us the street address.
• Johns Island: about 28 minutes, with a Stono bridge on every route in.
• Goose Creek: about 30 minutes. Tell us whether you have a gas furnace or a heat pump.
• Summerville: about 34 minutes, usually the first place on this list to see frost.
• Moncks Corner: about 39 minutes, and colder nights than the peninsula.

Emergency furnace repair in Charleston, step by step

Testing comes before parts, even in the middle of the night. A good visit runs in this order.

1. Hear the story. What it did, when it stopped and any fault lights you saw.
2. Check for danger. Gas connections, venting and signs of overheating come first.
3. Run the sequence. We follow the start-up step by step: thermostat call, inducer, pressure switch, igniter, gas valve, flame sensor, blower.
4. Test the failed part. Igniters, sensors, limit switches and motors get measured.
5. Quote first. You approve the repair before any work starts.
6. Restart and watch. We run a full heat cycle and confirm the safeties work.

You should come away from the visit knowing what failed, what the repair covers and whether the unit is safe to run.

Some nights end without heat. If the heat exchanger looks cracked or the venting is unsafe, the furnace stays off, and we will explain why. A warm house is not worth a carbon monoxide risk. If the answer turns out to be replacement, permits come into it. Each town and county runs its own, the City of Charleston takes mechanical applications at its Permit Center, and the federal minimum efficiency is something to confirm before you buy.

Weekend heating repair: what to ask about cost

Ask about after-hours pricing as soon as you get someone on the phone. Also ask what the first visit covers. These things change the total.

• The part. An igniter or sensor sits at the small end, and a heat exchanger does not.
• Day and hour. A Sunday night visit may not be priced like a Tuesday morning.
• Parts supply. A closed supply house can mean a second trip.
• Access. Attics and tight closets take longer than a basement-style utility room.

Find the model and serial number, then ask the manufacturer what the warranty covers. Parts coverage may run longer than labor coverage, and registration often matters.

Who handles the gas side, and which rules apply?

Two jobs can look like one on a bad night. The gas utility answers for leaks and for the line up to the meter. Work on the furnace, its venting and its controls belongs to a heating contractor, so a responder may shut off the gas and leave the repair for later.

Replacement brings the local office in. Mechanical work runs through the jurisdiction at your address, and fuel gas piping may need its own inspection, so ask before anyone reconnects a line. South Carolina's LLR publishes a license lookup you can use for any contractor, day or night. Keep the receipt or tag from any responder who shuts your gas off, because the utility may ask for it before service returns.

Why call Aero Air Techs on a cold night?

• Call at any hour. Our Google listing shows open 24 hours, every day.
• 4.9 out of 5 from 16 Google reviews, checked in October 2026.
• We quote before work begins, so you stay in control of the decision.
• A straight answer, including when the safe answer is to leave the furnace off.

Reviews on this page are about our work in general, and most of them mention cooling. Mark M. wrote about both sides of the system, saying "cold and heat work amazing." For repairs that can wait for regular hours, see furnace repair. If the problem is cooling, go to emergency AC repair.