No heat right now? Call (617) 415-1522. Obie Comfort Solutions repairs gas furnaces, oil furnaces, boilers and heat pumps across Framingham and MetroWest Massachusetts. We are licensed for both gas and oil work, our technicians are NATE certified, and the trucks carry the parts that fail most often so a large share of repairs are finished on the first visit.
- Gas and oil licensed, Sheet Metal License 593-SM-B and Oil Burner License BU-119538
- Diagnosis before parts, with a written recommendation before any work starts
- Annual tune-ups that include combustion analysis, not just a filter swap
- Family owned in Framingham since 2006
No Heat? Four Checks Before You Call
These take about two minutes and they solve a meaningful share of no-heat calls. Run through them first.
- Thermostat. Set to Heat, setpoint above current room temperature, fresh batteries. A dead battery in a digital thermostat looks exactly like a dead furnace.
- Power. Check the breaker for the heating system and the service switch on or near the unit. That switch looks like a light switch and gets flipped by accident more often than you would think.
- Filter. A filter clogged solid restricts airflow enough to trip the high limit switch and shut the furnace down on safety. If it is grey and packed, replace it.
- Fuel. On oil, check the tank gauge. Running the tank dry is the single most common cause of an oil system shutting down. On gas, confirm other gas appliances are working.
On an oil burner you can press the red reset button on the primary control one time only. Pressing it repeatedly pumps unburned oil into the combustion chamber and turns a small repair into a large one.
When to Shut the System Down and Call Immediately
- The carbon monoxide detector is alarming. Get everyone out of the house, then call 911 and the gas company. Do not restart the system.
- You smell gas. Do not use light switches or phones inside. Leave the house and call the gas company from outside.
- You smell oil strongly, or see smoke or soot. Shut the emergency switch off and call us.
- Water is pouring from around a boiler. Shut the system down and close the feed valve if you know where it is.
- A loud bang when the burner fires. That is delayed ignition and it stresses the combustion chamber. It should not wait.
Massachusetts law requires carbon monoxide detectors on every level of a home with fossil fuel equipment. If yours are older than seven years, replace them. We also handle detector installation and HVAC safety inspections.
Common Heating Failures and What They Usually Mean
| Symptom | Usual causes | Urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Blower runs, air is cold | Failed ignitor, flame sensor fouled, gas valve, tripped limit | Same day |
| Furnace short cycles every few minutes | Restricted airflow, dirty filter, failing limit switch, oversized unit | Prompt, it damages components |
| Clicks but will not light | Ignitor, flame sensor, control board, pressure switch | Same day |
| Loud bang on startup | Delayed ignition from dirty burners or misaligned electrodes | Immediate |
| Some rooms cold, others fine | Duct leakage, blocked returns, failed zone valve, air bound zone on a boiler | Scheduled |
| Boiler runs, radiators stay cold | Air in the loop, failed circulator, zone valve not opening | Prompt |
| Boiler pressure keeps dropping | Relief valve leaking, expansion tank failed, feed valve not working | Prompt |
| Oil burner locks out repeatedly | Clogged nozzle or fuel filter, dirty cad cell, water in the tank | Same day |
| Heat pump blowing cool air in winter | Defrost cycle, low charge, failed reversing valve, backup heat not staging | Prompt |
A proper diagnosis matters here, because the same symptom comes from very different causes and guessing gets expensive. We diagnose first, explain what we found, and give you the price before we start.
What an Annual Furnace Tune-Up Actually Includes
A tune-up is not a filter change. Ours is a full inspection and adjustment, and the part that matters most is the one homeowners never see: combustion analysis. A burner that is out of adjustment wastes fuel every hour it runs and you would never know from looking at the unit.
- Inspect the heat exchanger for cracks and corrosion
- Clean burners and inspect the flame pattern
- Clean and test the flame sensor, inspect the ignitor
- Combustion analysis and burner adjustment to manufacturer specification
- Test all safety controls, limit switches and the pressure switch
- Verify gas pressure, or replace nozzle and fuel filter on oil equipment
- Inspect venting and the flue for blockage, corrosion or disconnection
- Check blower wheel, motor amp draw and capacitor
- Measure temperature rise across the heat exchanger against the rating plate
- Replace or clean the air filter, clear the condensate drain on condensing units
- Verify thermostat calibration and staging
Oil systems need this every year without exception, because combustion byproducts build up and quietly destroy efficiency and safety. Gas equipment should also be serviced annually, and most manufacturer warranties require documented annual maintenance to stay valid.
When to Schedule a Tune-Up
September and October, before the first real cold snap. Two reasons. First, a problem found in October is a scheduled repair, while the same problem found in January is an emergency at the worst possible time. Second, the first cold week of the season is when every HVAC company in MetroWest is booked solid, and that is exactly when systems fail after sitting idle for six months.
If you would rather not track it, our Obie Comfort Club maintenance plan covers scheduled visits with priority service.
Repair or Replace?
We do not push replacements. Plenty of the systems we service are twenty years old with life left in them. Replacement is the better decision in four situations: the heat exchanger or a boiler section is cracked, which is a safety issue and is not repairable; the repair cost is approaching half the cost of new equipment on an aging system; you are calling for repairs more than once a season; or parts for the model are obsolete.
If you are at that point, our furnace and boiler replacement page covers sizing, efficiency and cost, and our ductless mini-split page covers the heat pump conversion path and the 2026 Mass Save® rebates. If another contractor has told you the system needs replacing, we give a no-cost second opinion first.
Boiler Repair in Older MetroWest Homes
Hot water and steam boilers are common in older homes in Framingham, Newton and Watertown, and many are decades old and still perfectly serviceable when maintained. The failures we see most are air bound zones, failed circulator pumps, zone valves that stop opening, leaking relief valves, and expansion tanks that have lost their charge. Banging and gurgling almost always means trapped air or sediment, and both get worse if ignored.
Heating Repair Across MetroWest
We repair heating systems in Framingham, Natick, Sudbury, Ashland, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Wayland, Weston, Wellesley, Marlborough, Westborough, Newton, Watertown, Waltham, Belmont and across our MetroWest service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
My furnace turns on but blows cold air. What is wrong?
The most common causes are a failed ignitor, a flame sensor coated in residue, or a high limit switch tripping because airflow is restricted. Check the filter first. If it is clogged, replace it and give the system twenty minutes to reset. If the air is still cold, the unit needs diagnosis before the burner is forced to keep trying.
Why does my furnace keep turning on and off every few minutes?
That is short cycling, and it usually means restricted airflow from a dirty filter or blocked returns, a failing high limit switch, or equipment that was oversized when it was installed. Short cycling wears out ignition components quickly, so it is worth diagnosing rather than living with.
How often should a furnace be serviced?
Once a year, ideally in September or October before the heating season. Oil systems require it annually without exception because combustion deposits build up inside the unit. Most manufacturer warranties also require documented annual maintenance to remain valid.
Do you offer emergency heating repair?
Yes. A no-heat call in a Massachusetts winter is treated as urgent, and we prioritize households with no heat at all. Call (617) 415-1522 and describe what the system is doing, since that helps the technician arrive with the right parts.
How much does a heating repair cost?
It depends on the failure, and we give you the price in writing after diagnosis rather than a number over the phone. A fouled flame sensor and a failed control board are very different repairs on the same furnace. Diagnosis comes first, then a written recommendation, then your approval before any work starts.
Why is my carbon monoxide detector going off?
Treat it as real. Get everyone out of the house, call 911 from outside, and do not restart the heating system. Carbon monoxide from heating equipment usually points to a cracked heat exchanger, a blocked flue, or incomplete combustion. All three require professional diagnosis before the system is used again.
Is a maintenance plan worth it?
If you have fossil fuel equipment, the annual visit is required for warranty coverage and it catches problems while they are still small. The value of a plan is mostly in scheduling: the visit happens before the cold season instead of being remembered in December, and members get priority when the first cold week fills every schedule in MetroWest.
Get Your Heat Back On
Obie Comfort Solutions has been repairing heating systems in MetroWest homes since 2006, on gas, oil and heat pumps. Call (617) 415-1522 for service, or schedule a tune-up online.
