HVAC Repair in Concord, CA
Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Contra Costa County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year, then a storm knocks the power out
Your system runs from November to April, then again from June through September. Two months a year, spring and fall, it gets to rest. The rest of the time it is either fighting a 41°F night or holding a house against an 85°F afternoon, and most homes here do it burning gas.
That much runtime adds up in the parts that cycle the most. The igniter lights the burner over and over through the winter months. The capacitor that kicks the compressor on has to do it again and again all summer. When one of these wears out, the system does not slow down first. It just stops.
Contra Costa County has seen 166 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 17% of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A furnace or AC that loses power should come back on its own once the power does. If yours does not, that is a sign something else needs a look.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 41°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $110 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Contra Costa County home.
Estimates for a typical Contra Costa County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, California fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the furnace's heat exchanger is cracked, the air conditioner's compressor has failed, or repairs keep coming.
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
California licenses HVAC contractors through the Contractors State License Board. That license belongs to the contractor, not to the job, so the same license covers this repair as it would any other heating and cooling work they take on.
For a repair to your heating and cooling system, that state license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is a record of the contractor, tested and kept on file by the state, not something issued for this particular job.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat, not just fan, and that the temperature you want is above the room temperature. If that looks right, check the breaker for the furnace and, if it runs on gas, make sure the gas valve is open. A furnace that will not light at all often has a bad igniter or a flame sensor that needs cleaning, and that is a job for a licensed contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and the system will run without bringing the house down to temperature. Next look at the outdoor unit and clear away anything piled against it, since it needs open air around it to release heat. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the system may be low on refrigerant or have a failing part, and that needs a contractor to check.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the breaker, and the air filter before anything else. A thermostat switched to the wrong mode, a tripped breaker, or a filter so dirty it is choking airflow causes a lot of the calls that turn out to be simple. If the system runs on gas, confirm the gas valve is open too. Once those are ruled out, a licensed contractor can diagnose what is actually wrong, and in California that contractor has to be licensed through the Contractors State License Board.