Mt. Lebanon owes its shape to the Liberty Tunnel. Once the tunnel opened in 1924, this streetcar suburb filled with brick and stucco houses through the 1920s and 1930s, and it is still one of the closer South Hills calls for us: about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown, through the tunnel and out West Liberty Avenue onto Washington Road. The tunnel is also the catch. It jams at both rush hours and slows in snow, so the drive is often longer than the distance suggests.
This page is for homes heated by a gas furnace and ducts. If yours is one, call (321) 478-0693 any time of day or night. Pittsburgh Furnace Repair sends an independent local HVAC technician who diagnoses the problem and puts a price in front of you before any work starts. Furnace repair in Mt. Lebanon often turns on the chimney, and our guide to furnace replacement cost in Pittsburgh explains what a liner or new venting adds when a furnace has to go.
Heating with radiators or a boiler instead of a furnace? Our sister service, Pittsburgh Boiler & Heating Repair, handles boiler and radiator homes in Mt. Lebanon.
Furnaces in old Mt. Lebanon houses
With 34,075 residents (2020 Census) and a historic district of more than 3,300 contributing buildings, Mt. Lebanon has more pre-war houses than almost any suburb we serve. Many were built for coal or gravity heat and converted to a gas furnace decades later. Others sit on post-war streets and had forced air from the start.
The Census Bureau's figures make the point: the median Mt. Lebanon home was built in 1953, the oldest of the seven suburbs we cover, about 65% of homes predate 1960 and roughly three in ten were built before 1940. Additions, finished attics and finished basements have changed many of those houses since the ductwork went in, so a furnace sized for the original footprint can be fighting a bigger house, or ducts that were never extended to the new rooms.
The converted houses share one weak spot: the chimney. A furnace that vents into an old masonry chimney sends warm, wet flue gas up a flue that was never built for it. Modern 80% furnaces run cooler than the old equipment, so moisture condenses inside the chimney, softens the mortar and drops debris to the base. The results are poor draft, spillage at the draft hood, and in the worst cases carbon monoxide in the basement.
Ductwork is the other issue. Ducts added to a plaster-walled house usually got squeezed into closets and corners, with small returns that leave a furnace starved for air. Basements here can be tight, with narrow stairways and finished rooms, so a furnace swap takes planning. A furnace that keeps tripping its limit or making noise may need furnace blower motor repair rather than a new unit.
Mt. Lebanon neighborhoods we cover
We cover the whole township, from Uptown along Washington Road to the shops on Beverly Road. Calls come from Virginia Manor, laid out in 1929 with streets that follow the contours of the hills, from the older blocks near the Mt. Lebanon and Poplar T stations, and from Mission Hills, Cedarhurst and Hoodridge. Most addresses fall in 15228, with parts of the township in 15234 and 15243.
- Uptown and the Washington Road corridor
- Beverly Road
- Virginia Manor
- Mission Hills
- Cedarhurst
- Hoodridge
Typical call
A typical Mt. Lebanon furnace call
A typical Mt. Lebanon call goes something like this, described as a common scenario and not a particular job. A 1920s house that was converted to forced air years ago has a carbon monoxide alarm that chirps now and then, and the furnace keeps shutting down on its rollout or spill switch. The technician runs a draft test at the flue, checks for spillage at the draft hood and looks up the chimney. Often the flue is partly blocked by fallen mortar and needs cleaning and a liner. You get the diagnosis and a written price before any work.
Furnace services in Mt. Lebanon
- Furnace Replacement in Mt. LebanonReplacing a furnace in a pre-war Mt. Lebanon house means deciding between an 80% furnace with a lined chimney and a 95% furnace with PVC venting, then getting the new unit down a narrow basement stair. The technician prices both routes.
- No Heat Repair in Mt. LebanonIgnitor, flame sensor and pressure switch faults cause most no-heat calls, and chimney draft problems can trip a furnace's safety controls too. A proper diagnosis checks venting along with the burners.
- Red-Tagged Furnace in Mt. LebanonChimney spillage and cracked heat exchangers are the usual reasons a furnace here gets shut off and tagged. A technician can confirm the finding, make the repair or price a replacement, and get the system ready for the gas to be turned back on.
- Furnace Tune-Up in Mt. LebanonIn a house venting into an old chimney, the yearly tune-up and its draft and carbon monoxide test matter more than usual. September and October are the best months to book.
Why Mt. Lebanon residents choose us for furnace repair
Converted pre-war houses are routine
A furnace venting into a 1920s brick chimney, ducts squeezed through closets of a house built for radiators: the draft tests and liner checks these homes need are standard on every visit here.
Furnace homes only, and honest about it
If your house runs on a boiler and radiators, you'll be pointed to our sister service rather than sold a furnace job.
Permits handled
Mt. Lebanon requires a mechanical permit for furnace installations, and a replacement includes pulling it and scheduling the inspection.
Through the tunnel, any hour
Mt. Lebanon is 15 to 20 minutes out through the Liberty Tunnel. Calls to (321) 478-0693 are answered 24/7, with an honest estimate of arrival.
Price before work, licensed and insured
You hear the price before any work starts, and every HVAC technician we send is licensed where Pennsylvania requires it, and insured.
Mt. Lebanon service area map
Technicians cover all of Mt. Lebanon, PA (15228, 15234, 15243). Arrival times depend on traffic, weather and how many calls are waiting, so you’ll get a time estimate when you call.
Furnace repair in towns near Mt. Lebanon
Furnace repair questions from Mt. Lebanon
My Mt. Lebanon home has radiators, not vents. Do you work on those?
No. We work only on gas forced-air furnaces, the kind that heat the house through ducts and floor or wall registers. Radiators run on a boiler, and our sister service, Pittsburgh Boiler & Heating Repair, handles boiler and radiator homes in Mt. Lebanon. If your house has radiators in some rooms and ducts in an addition, call us for the furnace side.
Does an old brick chimney need a liner when the furnace is replaced?
Usually, yes. A new 80% furnace venting into an unlined or deteriorated masonry chimney is a common cause of condensation, poor draft and carbon monoxide problems. Most installs need a properly sized metal liner. A 95% furnace vents through PVC pipe instead and skips the chimney, but if a gas water heater still uses the chimney it may need a smaller liner of its own.
How fast can a technician reach Mt. Lebanon?
Mt. Lebanon is about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown through the Liberty Tunnel and out Washington Road once a technician is on the way. The tunnel backs up at rush hour and in bad weather, and a cold snap brings a lot of calls, so we give you an honest estimate when you call (321) 478-0693. For a gas smell, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility first, then call for emergency furnace repair.
Do I need a permit to replace a furnace in Mt. Lebanon?
Yes. Mt. Lebanon requires a mechanical permit for furnace installations, and an electrical inspection may also be needed depending on the work. The installer normally applies to the municipality's Inspection Office and arranges the inspection, so make sure that's spelled out in your written quote.
Can a new furnace get down a narrow basement stair in an older Mt. Lebanon house?
Almost always. Standard furnaces are built to fit through ordinary doorways and down basement stairs, and installers bring them in on a stair-climbing hand truck. Tight turns, low headroom or a furnace boxed in by finished walls can add time, which is why the estimate visit includes a look at the route from the door to the furnace.
Page reviewed by the Pittsburgh Furnace Repair team.
Call for furnace repair in Mt. Lebanon
Every HVAC technician we send is licensed where Pennsylvania requires it, and insured.
- A diagnosis by testing, then the price before any work starts in your Mt. Lebanon home
- Any diagnostic or after-hours charge told to you before a technician is dispatched
- Parts and labor warranty terms written on the invoice
Pittsburgh Furnace Repair
Serving Pittsburgh, PA 15222 and nearby areas
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week