HVAC Emergency? What to Do Right Now
These guides cover the first few minutes of a heating or cooling emergency in a Toronto home: what to switch off, what you can safely check yourself, and who to call first. They are written to be read on a phone while standing in the basement. Each one ends with the same next step, which is to call us and be connected live to a technician.
One of them is not an HVAC call first. A gas smell is a call to Enbridge Gas at 1-866-763-5427, from outside the building, before anyone else.
- No Heat? Emergency Furnace Repair Toronto — What to Do Right NowFor emergency furnace repair in Toronto, check four things before anything else: the thermostat is set to heat and above room temperature, the furnace power switch is on, the breaker has not tripped, and the filter is not blocked.
- Gas Smell Furnace Toronto: Leave First, Then CallIf you smell gas near your furnace in Toronto, leave the building now without switching anything on or off, and call Enbridge Gas at 1-866-763-5427 from outside; if the smell is strong or you hear hissing, call 911 as well.
- AC Leaking Water Toronto: What to Do Right NowTurn the cooling off at the thermostat straight away if your AC is leaking water in Toronto, then contain the water and keep it away from anything electrical.
- Furnace Turning On and Off Every Few Minutes? (Toronto)A furnace that lights, runs for a minute or two and shuts off is either overheating or failing to prove its flame, and the most common cause is a filter so blocked the furnace cannot move air through itself.
The three things to know before anything goes wrong
Where your furnace's power switch is. It looks like an ordinary light switch, usually on or beside the furnace itself, and it is the first thing a technician will ask about. Knowing it exists saves a call more often than you would think.
Where your breaker panel is, and which breaker feeds the furnace and the air conditioner. A tripped breaker is one of the most common causes of a system that has simply stopped.
What kind of system you have, and roughly how old. Gas furnace, electric furnace, heat pump, boiler. The label on the unit carries the make, model and date. It changes the answer to almost every question a technician will ask you.
Then call
The number on every page is answered at every hour by our assistant, which confirms what has happened and your postal code and connects you live to a technician who is available now. Say what you have already checked; it is the first thing they will want to know.