HVAC Repair in Modesto, CA
Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Stanislaus County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work most years
Heat runs November through April here. Cooling runs May through September. That leaves almost no month where the system gets to sit idle. Summer afternoons average 91°F, so the compressor works hard for five straight months. Winter nights average 39°F from December through February, and the furnace answers every one of them.
Most homes here heat with gas, so when the furnace won't fire, there's no backup keeping the house warm while it waits on a repair. Stanislaus County has logged 18 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and wind like that can knock out power. A furnace or air conditioner won't run at all without it, gas or electric.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 39°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $140 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Stanislaus County home.
Estimates for a typical Stanislaus 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's Contractors State License Board issues the license and keeps it tied to the contractor, not to any one job. The same license is what covers the repair on your system and every job that contractor takes on after it.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the work. Nothing about the job changes what the license covers. It belongs to the contractor doing the work, not to the furnace or the coil or the repair itself.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to the thermostat, the igniter, or the power to the furnace. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the temperature is above room temperature, and check the breaker for the furnace. If the furnace is gas, look for a pilot light or listen for the igniter trying to fire when the system calls for heat. Winter nights here average 39°F, so a furnace that will not stay lit needs a contractor before the cold sets in for good.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If air is moving but it is not cold, the most common causes are a dirty filter, a frozen coil, or low refrigerant. Check the filter first since a clogged one chokes airflow across the coil and can cause it to freeze over. If the filter is clean and the air still is not cold, a contractor will need to check the coil and refrigerant charge. Running the system with a frozen coil can damage the compressor, so it is worth shutting it off until someone looks at it.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set correctly, has fresh batteries if it uses them, and is calling for heat or cooling the way you expect. Next check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and check the filter since a clogged one can stop a system from heating or cooling properly. If the outdoor unit is not running, look for anything blocking it, like debris after a windstorm. Beyond that, a licensed contractor will need to diagnose what is going on.