Emergency heating, cooling and plumbing in Northeast Ohio
Raber HVAC runs a 24/7 emergency line for no heat, no cooling, active leaks and sewage backups in homes across seven Northeast Ohio counties. Call (216) 888-4822 and tell the dispatcher what the system is doing. If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, get everyone outside and call 911 first.
- 24/7 emergency line
- After hours rate quoted before we dispatch
- Heating, cooling and plumbing
- OH LIC #28728
What counts as an HVAC or plumbing emergency
If it can hurt someone or damage the house before morning, call the emergency line. If it can wait, book online and choose a time.
No heat in freezing weather
Pipes on outside walls can freeze before the rooms feel dangerous. In a freeze, no heat calls jump the queue ahead of routine appointments.
No cooling in a heat advisory
Heat advisories are not a wait until Monday situation, especially in a house with infants or older adults.
An active water leak
Water damage compounds by the hour. Close the main water shutoff if you can reach it safely, then call.
Sewage backing up into the house
Stop running water anywhere in the house so the backup does not get worse, keep people and pets away from it, and call.
A furnace that keeps shutting off
A repeating limit trip can point at a cracked heat exchanger. Stop running it and call rather than resetting it again.
No hot water or a leaking water heater
If the tank is leaking, close the cold water valve above it and call. A tank that is leaking will not fix itself.
Smell gas or hear a carbon monoxide alarm? Get out first
Some calls are not for us first. These are for 911 and the gas company, and we come in once the house is safe.
- Gas smell: leave the house now and take everyone with you. Do not flip switches, use a phone or look for the leak inside. From outside, call 911 or your gas company.
- Carbon monoxide alarm: go outside immediately and call 911 from a safe location. Do not go back in until a qualified professional, such as a firefighter, says it is safe.
- The CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion as the most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Once the utility or the fire department has made the house safe, call us and a technician will check the equipment before it runs again.
Sources: Enbridge Gas Ohio, Safety; Enbridge Gas Ohio, Carbon Monoxide Safety; and CDC, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics. More on both in the heating questions.
Call the emergency line
The phone routes straight to dispatch. Online booking is for visits that can wait for a chosen day, so for anything on this page, call.
(216) 888-4822Every day, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. 24/7 emergency service.
What to check first when the heat or cooling stops
Five checks that fix a surprising number of calls, and tell the dispatcher what we are walking into when they do not.
- 1Thermostat: set to Heat or Cool, set past the room temperature, with fresh batteries.
- 2Power: the furnace switch near the unit (it looks like a light switch) is on. Reset a tripped breaker once; if it trips again, leave it off.
- 3Filter: a filter packed with dust can shut a furnace down as a safety measure.
- 4Ice: if the line at the indoor AC unit is iced over, turn the cooling off and leave the fan running to thaw it.
- 5Water: for a leak, close the main shutoff, usually where the water line enters the house, if you can reach it without stepping into water near outlets or the electrical panel.
Emergency service questions
If yours is not here, call and ask. We would rather answer it now than have you guess.
What counts as an HVAC emergency?
Call the emergency line for no heat in freezing weather, no cooling during a heat advisory with infants or older adults at home, an active water leak, sewage backing up into the house, or a furnace that keeps shutting itself off. If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911 first.
My furnace will not turn on. What can I check first?
Check that the thermostat is set to Heat, set above room temperature, and has fresh batteries. Make sure the furnace power switch, which looks like a light switch near the unit, is on. Look at the filter, because a packed filter can shut a furnace down as a safety measure. Reset a tripped breaker once; if it trips again, leave it off and call.
What does an after hours HVAC or plumbing call cost?
There is an after hours rate, and we tell you the number on the phone before we dispatch. No one should find out what a visit costs when the technician is already standing in the doorway.
How do I keep pipes from freezing when the heat is out?
Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warmer air reaches the pipes, and let the cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes. If you are going away in cold weather, the American Red Cross advises leaving the heat set no lower than 55 degrees F. If a faucet only trickles, suspect a frozen pipe, and never thaw one with an open flame.
Source: American Red Cross, Frozen Pipes
Articles on breakdowns and emergencies
- Cracked heat exchanger symptoms and what to do about them
- Water heater leaking from the bottom? What it means and what to do right now
- Frozen pipes in Northeast Ohio: how to prevent them, thaw them safely, and what to do if one bursts
- 24/7 Emergency HVAC Twinsburg: We're Always Ready
- Emergency HVAC Repair in Fairview Park, OH
- AC Repair in Shaker Heights: What You Need to Know
Where Raber HVAC works
Raber HVAC is based in Independence and serves Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Medina, Lake, Geauga and Portage counties. Most of our work sits inside a forty minute drive. That is deliberate. A tight radius is what makes same day service possible instead of aspirational.
Including Independence, Cleveland, Parma, Strongsville, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, North Royalton, Seven Hills, Rocky River, Lakewood, Westlake, Cuyahoga Falls and the surrounding communities. See all 43 towns
Page last updated .
No heat, no cooling, or water where it should not be?
Call the emergency line and tell the dispatcher what the system is doing. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 first.
Every day, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM · 24/7 emergency service · OH LIC #28728