Realizing your furnace just went quiet in the middle of a Syracuse cold snap can make your stomach drop. The air feels colder by the minute, you are eyeing the thermostat, and you are already thinking about kids, pets, or older family members trying to sleep in a house that keeps getting cooler. In Central New York, losing heat is not just uncomfortable, it can feel like an emergency very quickly.
In this situation, you do not have hours to research what might be wrong or sort through generic articles written for milder climates. You need to know what to do in the next 15 to 60 minutes to keep everyone safe, protect your home from damage, and decide if this is a true furnace emergency in Syracuse. You also want to know which steps are safe for you to try and where you should stop and call for help.
At Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning, we have been taking furnace emergency calls in Syracuse and across Central New York since 1983, and our team is on call 24/7 when the weather turns dangerous. We have seen how fast older homes in this area can lose heat when the wind is howling off Onondaga Lake or temps dip into the single digits. In this guide, we will walk you through what to do when your furnace stops working during a Syracuse cold snap, from quick checks to safe temporary heating and when to call us at (315) 610-7858 for emergency service.
Why A No-Heat Call Is Different During A Cold Snap
Losing heat in October when it is 45 degrees outside is very different from losing heat during a January cold snap in Syracuse when the temperature is in the teens and the wind chill is even lower. In those conditions, many Central New York homes can lose several degrees of indoor temperature in just a few hours, especially older houses with less insulation or drafty windows. Rooms over garages, finished attics, and basements tend to cool even faster, which can catch people off guard.
As the indoor temperature drops into the low 60s and 50s, comfort gives way to safety concerns. Younger children, elderly family members, and people with certain medical conditions feel the effects of cold sooner and can have a harder time staying warm. At the same time, the colder it gets inside, the more your plumbing is at risk. Pipes in exterior walls, basements, or crawlspaces are exposed to more cold, and prolonged low indoor temperatures make frozen or burst pipes more likely.
In our experience serving Syracuse and the surrounding communities since 1983, a furnace emergency is not just any heating issue. It is a complete or near-complete loss of heat when outside temperatures are at or below freezing, especially when the home is cooling quickly, there are vulnerable people in the house, or there are warning signs of something more serious like a carbon monoxide alarm, strong burning odors, or loud mechanical noises from the furnace. During a real cold snap, waiting until morning or hoping the system will start again on its own can put both your family and your home at risk.
That is why we treat no-heat calls differently when severe weather moves through Onondaga County and surrounding areas. Our team watches the forecast, and we see the same lake-effect snow and subzero wind chills you do. When we talk about a furnace emergency in Syracuse, we are not speaking in theory. We are talking about patterns we have seen in local homes for decades and the real consequences when a heating problem is left to linger in extreme cold.
First Safety Checks To Try Before You Call For Furnace Emergency Help
Once you know everyone is safe for the moment, the next step is to run through a few simple checks that solve a meaningful number of no-heat calls. These are things we often walk Syracuse homeowners through on the phone before we dispatch a technician. They do not require tools and they keep you well away from gas valves and internal controls, which should only be handled by a trained technician.
Start at the thermostat. Make sure it is set to “Heat,” that the temperature setting is several degrees higher than the current room temperature, and that any schedule or setback programming is not keeping it low overnight. If it is a battery-powered thermostat, replace the batteries if you have spares, since weak batteries can keep it from sending a clear signal to the furnace. If you recently had work done in the home, check that the thermostat has not been bumped into “Off” or “Cool” by accident.
Next, confirm that the furnace has power. Many furnaces in Syracuse basements and utility rooms have a light switch nearby that controls power to the unit. It can look like a regular light switch and is sometimes bumped off while moving storage or doing other work. Make sure that switch is in the “On” position. Then check your electrical panel for a tripped furnace or HVAC breaker. If it is in the middle position, turn it fully off, then back on once. If the breaker trips again right away, leave it off and do not keep resetting it, since that points to an electrical problem that needs a technician.
Airflow is another common issue during cold snaps. Your furnace pulls air through the return ducts, pushes it through the heat exchanger, and sends it out through supply registers. If the air filter is clogged or too many vents are closed, the furnace struggles to move enough air. A safety device called a limit switch monitors temperature in the unit and will shut the burners off if things get too hot. In extreme cold, when the furnace is already running hard, even a slightly dirty filter can push things over the edge and trigger repeated shutdowns.
You can safely check the filter and a few obvious airflow problems. Find your furnace filter, slide it out, and look through it toward the light. If you cannot see light through it or it looks caked with dust, replace it with a clean filter of the same size and orientation. Also take a quick walk outside to where your high-efficiency furnace vents through PVC pipes. If snow, ice, or wind-blown debris is covering or packed around the openings, gently clear it away without inserting tools or objects into the pipes. If you have worked through these checks and your system still will not run, or it starts but shuts off again quickly, it is time to think about this as a true furnace emergency and consider calling Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning for help.
When To Call For Furnace Emergency Services
During a cold snap, one of the hardest decisions for homeowners is knowing exactly when to pick up the phone for emergency service instead of waiting for regular hours. You do not want to overreact, but you also do not want to underestimate the situation when the temperature and wind chill in Syracuse are punishing. We encourage customers to look at both what the furnace is doing and what is happening in the home.
Certain warning signs mean you should treat the situation as urgent right away. If you smell strong burning odors, a hot electrical smell, or see smoke, shut the system off at the thermostat and at the furnace switch and call for help. If your carbon monoxide detector is sounding, get everyone outdoors or to fresh air immediately and contact emergency services before you call for a technician. Loud banging, grinding, or screeching from the furnace, or repeated attempts to start with quick shutdowns, are also signals that the system may be struggling in a way that could damage components or affect safety.
Even without dramatic symptoms, your home’s conditions can make this a furnace emergency in Syracuse. If outdoor temperatures are in the low 20s, teens, or single digits and your indoor temperature is dropping toward the mid-50s or lower, waiting can allow the house to cool to an unsafe level, especially for infants, older adults, or anyone with health issues. A home with pipes in unheated areas, like a basement or crawlspace, is also at higher risk for freeze-related damage when the furnace is down in extreme cold.
When you call Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning at (315) 610-7858, our team looks at these exact factors. Because we have a large team of more than 200 employees and provide 24/7 emergency service, we can triage calls based on urgency. We will ask about current indoor temperature, who is in the home, any unusual smells or sounds, and what checks you have already tried. This helps us prioritize the most at-risk situations during a Syracuse cold snap and send a technician as quickly as possible when your situation truly calls for emergency furnace service.
If you are unsure whether you are in an emergency or not, it is better to call and talk it through than to assume it can wait. Our customer-first approach means we are honest about what you are dealing with. If we believe your family or home is at risk, we will say so. If it sounds like a problem that may be handled as a priority but not life-threatening, we will explain that too and help you stay as comfortable as possible until we arrive.
Safe Ways To Stay Warm Until The Furnace Is Repaired
When your furnace is out of commission, keeping your home warm and safe becomes a top priority. In Syracuse, even a few hours without heat during cold weather can be uncomfortable, so taking proactive steps to retain warmth and minimize risk is essential. The key is to focus on a smaller, contained living space, layer up, and rely only on safe, properly ventilated heat sources. Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning often advises homeowners on these temporary measures while they wait for professional furnace repair.
Safe ways to stay warm include:
- Consolidate living space Move everyone to one or two interior rooms, ideally away from large windows and exterior doors, and close doors to unused areas to trap heat.
- Layer clothing and bedding Wear hats, warm socks, and multiple layers of clothing, and use blankets or sleeping bags to maintain body warmth.
- Close curtains and blinds Reducing heat loss through windows helps keep interior rooms warmer for longer.
- Use portable space heaters safely Place them on level, non-flammable surfaces, keep at least three feet from combustible materials, plug directly into a wall outlet, and never leave unattended.
- Avoid unsafe heating methods Do not use ovens, stovetops, charcoal grills, propane heaters not rated for indoor use, or generators indoors due to fire and carbon monoxide risks.
- Careful fireplace use If properly maintained, a fireplace can provide supplemental heat; always use a screen, ensure the damper is open, and never leave the fire unattended.
Taking these precautions allows your household to stay as comfortable and safe as possible while waiting for a technician to repair your furnace. Following proper safety guidelines minimizes the risk of fire or carbon monoxide exposure, and ensures that once your heating system is restored, you can return to normal warmth without incident. By planning ahead and using these strategies, you can manage the temporary disruption without putting yourself or your family at unnecessary risk.
Protecting Your Pipes And Home From Cold Damage
While you are working to keep people warm, you also need to think about your plumbing. Burst pipes can cause significant damage, often long after the furnace issue is resolved. In Syracuse and surrounding Central New York communities, we see the most freezing problems in homes with pipes along exterior walls, in unheated basements, or in crawlspaces that sit directly over frozen ground.
Start by identifying the most vulnerable areas in your home. Kitchen sinks on outside walls, bathroom sinks above unheated garages, and laundry rooms next to exterior doors are common trouble spots. Basements that are unfinished or only lightly heated and crawlspaces with little insulation are also at risk when the furnace is not running during a cold snap. If you know there is a plumbing run that has frozen before, pay special attention to that area.
There are a few short-term steps that can help reduce the risk of freezing while your house is cooler than normal. Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow more room air to circulate around the pipes. In very cold weather, let a small trickle of water run from faucets that are on vulnerable lines, especially those far from where the water line enters the house. Moving water is less likely to freeze than still water. Keep garage doors closed as much as possible, particularly if plumbing runs through or above the garage.
Every home is different, and how long it takes for pipes to freeze depends on insulation, pipe location, and how cold it is outside. In older Syracuse homes with limited insulation and outdoor temps in the teens or below, pipes in unheated spaces can be at risk after several hours of no heat. In newer, better insulated homes, you may have more time. The key is to take these precautions as soon as you realize the furnace is down, rather than waiting until ice has already started forming in the lines.
We have seen how a straightforward furnace repair can turn into a major restoration project when frozen pipes burst and water runs for hours before anyone notices. By paying attention to pipe locations and taking a few simple steps while you are waiting for emergency furnace service, you can often avoid that second crisis. Our goal in every furnace emergency Syracuse homeowners call us about is to help protect both comfort and the structure of the home.
Why Furnaces Often Fail During Extreme Cold
It can feel like bad luck when your furnace quits on the coldest night of the year, but there is more to it than that. During a Syracuse cold snap, your furnace runs longer and cycles on more often to maintain the same indoor temperature. That extra workload exposes weak parts, dirty components, and airflow problems that might not have surfaced on a milder day. Understanding the common failure patterns can help you see what might be going on and what you can do to reduce the chance of it happening again.
One frequent issue is overheating caused by restricted airflow. Your furnace pulls air through the return ducts, pushes it through the heat exchanger, and sends it out through supply registers. If the air filter is clogged or too many vents are closed, the furnace struggles to move enough air. A safety device called a limit switch monitors temperature in the unit and will shut the burners off if things get too hot. In extreme cold, when the furnace is already running hard, even a slightly dirty filter can push things over the edge and trigger repeated shutdowns.
Another cold-weather trouble spot is the intake and exhaust system on certain high-efficiency furnaces. These units often use PVC pipes that run outside the home to bring in combustion air and vent exhaust. In a Syracuse winter, snowdrifts, blowing snow, and ice buildup can partially or fully block these pipes. Modern furnaces have pressure switches and other safety features that shut the system down if they sense that air is not moving properly. From your perspective, it just looks like the furnace tried to start and quit, but under the hood it is preventing a potentially unsafe condition.
Ignition and flame-sensing components also get stressed in severe cold. Many furnaces use hot surface igniters and flame sensors that must be clean and correctly positioned to confirm a stable flame. Over time, soot and oxidation can build up on these parts, and connection issues can develop. During a cold snap, when the furnace is cycling more often, minor fouling or wear can suddenly cause the system to fail to light or to shut off shortly after ignition. The control board responds by cutting gas to reduce the risk of unburned fuel building up.
At Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning, our technicians see these patterns every winter across brands like Lennox, Rheem, and others common in Syracuse homes. Sometimes the solution is as straightforward as replacing a heavily used igniter, cleaning a flame sensor, or clearing a blocked vent. Other times, repeated issues during extreme weather are a sign that the furnace is nearing the end of its useful life or is undersized for the house. Part of our job during a furnace emergency Syracuse homeowners face is to stabilize the immediate problem, then give clear, honest feedback on whether the system can be relied on long term.
How An Emergency Furnace Visit Typically Works
Not knowing what to expect when you call for emergency service can add to the stress you already feel from the cold. We find that when homeowners understand how a visit will unfold, it helps them feel more in control. While every situation is unique, there is a general pattern to how an emergency furnace call in Syracuse usually goes with Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning.
When you call us at (315) 610-7858, our dispatcher asks a focused set of questions. We want to know your current indoor temperature, how long the system has been down, and what the weather is doing outside your door. We also ask about anyone in the home who may be especially sensitive to cold, such as infants, older adults, or family members with health conditions. Then we ask about any symptoms from the furnace itself, like noises, smells, or carbon monoxide alarms, and what basic checks you have already tried.
This information helps us decide how urgent your situation is and how to position our technicians, especially during a cold snap when many households are calling at once. Our size, with more than 200 employees, gives us flexibility to move people where they are needed most. When a technician arrives, they typically start with safety checks, verifying power and gas supply, confirming that vents are clear, and checking for any signs of overheating or combustion problems.
From there, your technician will run through a systematic diagnostic process based on what your furnace is doing. That may include checking thermostat signals, testing components like igniters and sensors, examining the filter and duct conditions, and reviewing any error codes stored by the control board. We explain what we are finding in plain language, so you know whether the problem is something small that happened to show up during the cold snap or a sign of a deeper issue.
Once we identify the cause, we talk about your options. Sometimes a repair is straightforward and gets you back up and running the same visit. In other cases, especially with very old systems or repeated breakdowns, we may suggest a repair to get you through the emergency and then schedule a time to talk about longer term solutions. Our family-owned, customer-first approach means we view this as a conversation, not a sales push. Thousands of positive Google reviews and our A+ BBB rating reflect that people in Syracuse and across Central New York trust us to give clear recommendations even in high-pressure situations.
Preventing The Next Furnace Emergency Before The Next Cold Snap
Once the immediate crisis is over and your home is warm again, the last thing you want is a repeat performance the next time the temperature in Syracuse plunges. Many furnace emergencies that show up during cold snaps build up quietly over time. With some planning and regular care, you can significantly lower the odds of waking up to a cold house again.
Regular professional maintenance is one of the most effective steps you can take. During a tune-up, a technician can clean burners and flame sensors, inspect the heat exchanger, check and adjust safety controls, and verify that intake and exhaust paths are clear. They can also test ignition systems and electrical connections that tend to fail under heavy use. This type of attention, especially before the heart of the heating season, often catches the issues that cause unexpected shutdowns when the furnace is under the heaviest load.
Your own habits make a difference too. Changing furnace filters on the schedule recommended for your system and home conditions keeps airflow where it should be, which reduces strain on blowers and limit switches. Keeping snow, leaves, and debris cleared away from outdoor vents and intakes, especially after a lake-effect storm, helps reduce the blockages that shut down certain high-efficiency furnaces. Paying attention to early warning signs, like new noises, short cycling, or rooms that take longer to warm up, gives you a chance to schedule service before those signs turn into an emergency.
At Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning, we help homeowners across Central and Upstate New York move from crisis mode to a more predictable comfort plan. That might mean setting up annual maintenance visits, evaluating an older furnace that has needed several recent repairs, or talking through what a replacement with a modern, reliable system from brands we work with, such as Lennox or Rheem, would look like in your home. Our goal is to make sure that when the next Syracuse cold snap hits, your furnace is ready and you are not scrambling for emergency help in the middle of the night.
Get Fast, Local Help For Any Furnace Emergency
A furnace failure during a Syracuse cold snap is stressful, but you are not powerless. By working through a few safe checks, using temporary heating wisely, protecting your pipes, and knowing when the situation has crossed into true emergency territory, you can keep your family and your home safer while you wait for help. Understanding the common reasons furnaces struggle in extreme cold also puts you in a stronger position to prevent future breakdowns.
If your home is already cooling down, you have vulnerable family members in the house, or you are seeing any warning signs like strange odors, loud noises, or carbon monoxide alarms, you do not have to face it alone. Our local team at Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning has been handling furnace emergency calls in Syracuse and across Central New York since 1983, and we provide 24/7 response when cold weather puts your comfort at risk. Reach out now so we can help you stabilize the situation and plan for reliable heat going forward.