How fast can we come out
In most cases when you call during office hours, we can get to you the same day. Calling early gives us more of the day to work with.
One customer wrote in a Google review that they called around 4 PM on a Friday and had Kyle Smith, who owns Capital City, at the house the same day. Another customer wrote that on one of the coldest mornings of winter, an older furnace had heat back in under an hour, and thanked Kyle.
Is a broken AC an emergency
A broken air conditioner in a Topeka summer can become dangerous. Homes heat up, and older adults, young children and people with health conditions are most at risk. Call (785) 221-9760 and tell us when it stopped.
What to do if your furnace stops in winter
Loss of heat can become dangerous in a Topeka winter, and a house that stays cold long enough can have frozen pipes. Call (785) 221-9760 when the office opens. Tell us when the furnace stopped, what you hear or do not hear when it tries to start, and what the house temperature is now.
Before you call, check three things. Make sure the thermostat is set to Heat and above the room temperature. Check the thermostat batteries. If a breaker has tripped, flip it fully off and then on once, but only if there was no burning smell, sparks or water near the panel. If the furnace still does not start, leave it alone and call. Do not reset it over and over, and do not open panels or take anything apart.
If anyone in the home is struggling with the cold, move to a warmer place such as a relative's or neighbor's home, and call 911 for an emergency.
Why did my furnace or AC stop working suddenly
A sudden stop can have several causes, and a technician has to diagnose the fault. On a furnace, a failed igniter, the part that lights the burners, is a common cause. A safety switch can also shut the furnace down when it senses a problem such as overheating. On an air conditioner, the capacitor, a small part that helps the outdoor motors start, is a common failure. A tripped breaker can stop either system.
Some of these are quick to correct and some are not. The only way to know is for a technician to look.
What to tell us when you call
Describe the symptoms in as much detail as you can.
- What the system is doing: no heat at all, furnace running but blowing cold air, AC not cooling, outdoor unit humming but not running, or the system turning on and off every few minutes
- When it stopped
- The age of the system, if you know it
- The temperature in the house now
- Whether the thermostat is set to Heat for the furnace or Cool for the AC
- Any noises or smells when the system tries to start
- Whether a breaker tripped
Staying safe with no heat
Heat from an unsafe source can hurt you more than the cold does, so follow these limits.
- Close curtains and shut the doors to rooms you are not using so the warmth stays where people are
- In a hard freeze, let faucets on outside walls drip slowly to help keep pipes from freezing
- If you use a space heater, keep it at least three feet from anything that can burn, such as bedding, curtains or furniture, plug it straight into the wall, and never leave it running while you sleep or leave the room
- Never use a grill, a gas oven, a camp stove or a generator to heat the home, and never run a car in an attached garage. Burning fuel indoors produces carbon monoxide, which can kill you
- Check on older family members, neighbors and anyone with health problems, and move them to a warmer place if the house is not safe
Staying safe with no air conditioning
Fans move air but do not make an overheated person safe. If the house is getting dangerously hot, go to a cooler place such as a relative's or neighbor's home or a public building with air conditioning.
- Close the blinds on sunny windows to keep the heat out
- Stay in the coolest room of the house and keep pets there too
- Drink water and avoid heavy exercise
- Check on older family members, babies and neighbors
- Call 911 if anyone is confused, faints or is vomiting
If you smell gas or your carbon monoxide alarm sounds
Get everyone out of the house immediately. Call 911 or your gas company from outside, from a neighbor's home or on your cell phone. Do not restart the furnace, do not go back inside and do not stop to gather things.
A gas leak or carbon monoxide is a health emergency. Do not go back in until emergency responders say the home is safe, and do not restart the furnace until a technician has looked at it. After that, call us to schedule a visit.
If the air conditioner is frozen over
Ice on the copper refrigerant line or on the indoor coil points to a cooling system problem. Turn the thermostat from Cool to Off so the ice can melt. Running a frozen system can damage the compressor, the pump in the outdoor unit that circulates the refrigerant.
Once the ice has melted, call us. In most cases when you call during office hours, we can get to you the same day.
Our hours and how to reach us
Capital City Heating & Cooling is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Call (785) 221-9760 as early in the day as you can. You can also book online to schedule a service call in advance.
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