Stop and do this first if any of these apply
- Carbon monoxide alarm sounding: get everyone outside immediately, then call 911 from outside. Do not re-enter to investigate or reset anything.
- You smell gas: leave the house without flipping switches or using garage door openers, and call the gas utility or 911 from outdoors.
- Smoke or visible flame: call 911.
- Water pouring from the air handler or a burst line: shut off the system at the breaker and the water supply if applicable, then call.
Once the house is safe, the equipment side is something a local HVAC professional can take over. Nothing here is a substitute for emergency services.
Losing heat in an Arvada winter
A well-insulated Arvada home can hold reasonable temperatures for several hours after the furnace quits, but on a night in the single digits interior temperatures fall steadily and plumbing on exterior walls becomes a real concern. Practical steps while you wait:
- Leave the thermostat set to Heat rather than switching it off, so the system restarts on its own if it recovers.
- Close doors to unused rooms and concentrate everyone in one or two spaces.
- Open cabinets under sinks on exterior walls, and let a faucet drip if temperatures are well below freezing.
- Use only sealed electric space heaters, one per circuit, and never a gas oven or unvented combustion heater indoors.
- Check the furnace switch, the breaker, and the filter — a surprising number of no-heat calls end there.
- On high-efficiency furnaces, clear snow or ice from the white PVC intake and exhaust pipes on the exterior wall.
Losing cooling during a heat wave
Colorado heat is dry, which helps, but a west-facing Arvada house with afternoon sun can climb quickly. While you wait:
- Close blinds and curtains on the sun side, especially west windows.
- Run bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans to push hot air out; open windows overnight when it cools off.
- Move to the lowest level of the house — basements can be fifteen degrees cooler.
- Use fans for air movement, drink water, and check on neighbors who are elderly or have health conditions.
- Switch the system off at the thermostat if the coil is iced so it can thaw before the technician arrives.
How urgent requests work here
Arvada HVAC Service is a connection service, not the company that comes to your house. When you mark a request as urgent, that detail goes along with your symptoms and ZIP code to a local HVAC professional, so they know the situation before they reach out. Availability and timing are theirs to confirm — we can't schedule or guarantee a visit on their behalf.
Because timing matters most in these situations, calling is faster than filling out a form. Use the form if it's late and you'd rather have someone follow up with you.