Furnace Repair in Eugene & Salem, With No-Heat Calls Answered 24/7
When your heat quits, we repair gas furnaces, electric furnaces and heat pumps in Eugene, Springfield, Salem and Keizer homes, and we answer no-heat calls 24/7. You'll hear what failed and what the repair costs before any work starts.
Heating services we provide
James Heating & Air Conditioning repairs the furnaces, heat pumps and dual-fuel systems that heat Willamette Valley houses, and we install a replacement when the heat exchanger or the repair bill says it's time.
Gas furnace repair
Our technicians replace igniters, flame sensors, blower motors, gas valves and control boards. We inspect the heat exchanger, the metal chamber that keeps flame gases out of your air, and test the burner flame and venting before we leave.
Electric furnace and air handler repair
An electric furnace heats with coils inside the air handler, the indoor cabinet whose blower pushes air through your ducts. When yours stops heating, we test the coils, the switches that turn them on and the blower motor, then replace the part that failed.
Heat pump heating repair
A heat pump pulls warmth out of the outdoor air in winter and reverses to cool the house in summer. We repair heat pumps that blow cool air, ice over or lean on backup heat, and ductless heat pumps in rooms without ducts.
Dual-fuel systems
A dual-fuel system pairs an outdoor heat pump with a gas furnace that takes over on the coldest days. Homeowners can rarely tell which half is running, so we check both and repair whichever one stopped heating.
Furnace and heat pump installation
When a furnace is past saving, we install a new gas furnace, electric furnace or heat pump, sized from a room-by-room load calculation. We pull the permit, and the price of the HVAC installation turns on system type, size, efficiency and any duct work.
Tune-ups and furnace safety checks
Short, frequent cycles through a damp valley winter wear out igniters and flame sensors, and a yearly furnace tune-up catches them first. Our furnace safety inspection checks the heat exchanger and tests for carbon monoxide.
Checks we suggest before you book a repair
If you smell gas, leave the house without flipping switches, then call 911 and NW Natural at 800-882-3377 from outside. A carbon monoxide alarm means everyone out and a call to 911.
For a plain no-heat problem, these checks can bring the heat back without a visit. Try them in order. If the furnace blinks a status code through its lower door, count the blinks for us and leave the door on, since removing it clears the code.
- Thermostat. Set it to HEAT, a few degrees above room temperature, with fresh batteries if it takes them.
- Power switch. It looks like a light switch near the furnace and is easy to bump off.
- Breaker. Reset a tripped furnace breaker once, and if it trips again, leave it off and phone us.
- Air filter. If no light passes through it, replace it, since a clogged filter makes a furnace overheat and shut down.
- Gas supply. If no gas appliance in the house works, the problem is NW Natural's to fix.
- Vents. Open closed registers and clear furniture off the return grilles.
Signs your furnace needs a repair visit
Furnaces give warning before most failures. When yours does one of these, describe what you see, hear or smell when you call, so the technician we send already has a place to start. Don't wait for a cold night. When the trouble is cooling, or the symptom fits none of these, our HVAC diagnostics and repair visit traces it from the thermostat to the outdoor unit.
Warm air never comes out
Set the thermostat fan to AUTO, because ON blows room-temperature air between cycles. If the air stays cold, the likely causes are a clogged filter, a dirty flame sensor or a burner that won't light, and we test all three.
It starts and stops every few minutes
That's short cycling. A dirty filter, a fouled flame sensor or a furnace too big for the house causes it, and all those restarts wear out the igniter. We clean the sensor and compare the furnace's size with the house.
A yellow or flickering flame
A healthy gas flame burns mostly blue and steady. Yellow or orange flame, or soot around the cabinet, means the burner isn't burning cleanly. Switch the furnace off, make sure your carbon monoxide alarm works and call us.
A burning smell that won't fade
Dust burning off on the first cold day of fall clears quickly. Hot plastic or wiring that lingers means switch the furnace off and call. Rotten eggs means gas, and that means getting out of the house before anything else.
Banging, squealing or rattling
Worn blower motors squeal and loose panels rattle. A loud bang as the burners light is delayed ignition, so turn the furnace off and call us rather than letting it keep firing.
It runs nonstop and the house stays cold
A clogged filter, leaky ducts or a weak blower can keep a furnace running without ever catching up. We test the airflow, the burner and the blower to find which one is holding it back.
How we tell which heating system you have
Not sure what heats your house? Most homes have one of these four setups, and the equipment gives it away.
| System | How to recognize it | Runs on | Backup on the coldest nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas furnace | Indoor cabinet with a gas line and a vent pipe | Gas, plus electricity for the blower | None needed |
| Electric furnace | Indoor cabinet with no gas line or vent pipe | Electricity | None needed |
| Heat pump | Outdoor unit that keeps running in winter, not only in summer | Electricity | Electric coils in the air handler (AUX heat) |
| Dual fuel | Heat pump outside, gas furnace inside | Electricity and gas | The gas furnace |
When you're replacing rather than repairing, these four become a choice, and the central heating and air systems we install differ mostly in fuel and in which rebates they can earn.
How we handle heat pump defrost, AUX and emergency heat
Steam rising from your heat pump's outdoor unit on a cold, damp morning is normal. The unit briefly reverses to melt frost, and the air indoors feels cooler until it switches back. AUX heat means the backup coils came on by themselves because the heat pump fell behind. EM heat is a manual setting that skips the heat pump and runs only those coils, which costs more to run.
Call us when the outdoor unit stays caked in ice, the cool air doesn't clear after a few defrost cycles, or AUX shows all day in mild weather. If the outdoor unit has stopped, switching to EM heat keeps the house warm until our technician arrives.
How our furnace repair visit works
A repair visit follows five steps, whichever office you call.
- You call. Tell the office what the furnace is doing and any blink code you counted.
- We diagnose. Our technician checks the thermostat, power, filter, ignition, flame and airflow until the cause turns up.
- We explain what failed. Then you decide whether the repair goes ahead.
- We repair it. A part that has to be ordered means a second visit.
- We run a safety check. On a gas furnace, that covers the burner, the venting and a carbon monoxide test before we leave.
Gas furnace, heat pump or both when we replace your heat
Once a repair stops making sense, the choice is a new gas furnace, a heat pump, or dual fuel with both. A heat pump heats and cools on electricity and suits the valley's mild, damp winters, while a gas furnace gives strong heat on the coldest nights. Gas service at the house, whether you want cooling and your utility's heat pump offer usually decide it.
Oregon's new heat pump rule took effect October 1, 2026, with a six-month phase-in for builders, and it covers only newly built homes with split-system AC. Replacing the furnace in the house you live in now isn't affected. Before you choose, weigh repairing or replacing a furnace or AC against its age, the size of the repair and its safety.
We check heating rebates against your utility bills
The federal 25C tax credit ended for equipment installed after December 31, 2025, so a furnace or heat pump installed in 2026 earns no federal credit. What's left runs through the utilities named on your bills.
- EWEB, SUB and Salem Electric run their own heat pump programs for their electric customers, and SUB lists us as an HVAC contractor.
- Energy Trust of Oregon pays heat pump incentives to PGE and Pacific Power customers.
- NW Natural gas customers can reach Energy Trust's gas furnace incentive, though its 2026 offer is aimed at rentals, attached homes and income-qualified households.
Bring both bills to the estimate, and James Heating checks them against the current Oregon HVAC rebates by utility that fit your house.
Why homeowners choose us for furnace repair
James Heating has repaired furnaces since 1983, and the business is still family-owned, with offices in Eugene and Salem.
- Licensed, bonded and insured under Oregon CCB #47396.
- Ruud and Rheem dealers. Ruud Authorized Dealer at both offices, Rheem Authorized Dealer in Salem.
- Plain answers. We explain what failed in everyday words, and when a furnace is worth fixing, we say so.
- Certified refrigerant work. Our technicians hold EPA 608 certification, which heat pump repairs require.
Furnace repair questions
What is a heat exchanger, and why does a crack matter?
The heat exchanger is the sealed metal chamber where burner flames heat the air without mixing exhaust into it, the core of how a furnace works. A crack can let carbon monoxide into your rooms, so the furnace stays off until we replace the heat exchanger or the furnace. If anyone says yours is cracked, ask them to show you.
How much does a furnace repair cost?
It turns on the part that failed, whether it's in stock or has to be ordered, and how hard your furnace is to reach, which is why we quote it after the diagnosis. If replacement makes more sense, the price then rests on system size, efficiency and duct work, what moves an installation price rather than a part.
Do you answer no-heat calls at night and on weekends?
Yes. We answer both numbers at any hour, weekends included. On a cold night, work through the checks above while you wait, since they sometimes bring the heat back before we arrive.
How long does a gas furnace last?
ENERGY STAR suggests considering replacement once a furnace passes 15 years. One with a sound heat exchanger can run well past that, so age alone doesn't settle how long a furnace lasts.
Should I change the furnace filter more often in wildfire season?
Yes. A filter that loaded up with smoke in August can be choked by October and trip the furnace's overheat shut-off. Check it after any smoky stretch, and ask about the higher-rated filters we fit as part of our indoor air quality and ventilation work.
Our furnace repair service areas
We run furnace repair from two offices. Pick the one closest to your home; for shops and offices, our commercial heating service takes the call.
What our customers say
"We are very pleased with the professional attitude and workmanship that your technician did for us. We will surely recommend your company to our friends."
K. Thiele
"We appreciate your courteous and prompt service, it is so reassuring to know that we can depend on you to help us if we have problems."
The Richmonds
Gallery
See James Heating and Air Conditioning at work. Explore our gallery of residential and commercial HVAC installations and repair services.
Book furnace repair with the office nearest you
Tell us what the furnace is doing and whether it runs on gas or a heat pump. Call Eugene at (541) 461-2101 or Salem at (503) 581-9982, or send us a message. If the house is cold tonight, call rather than write.
Call Eugene at (541) 461-2101 or Salem at (503) 581-9982.
Oregon CCB #47396 · Family-owned since 1983 · Ruud Authorized Dealer (Eugene and Salem) · Rheem Authorized Dealer (Salem)
