HVAC Repair in Sacramento, 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 Sacramento County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of work, most years
Sacramento County asks for heat from November through April and cooling from May through September. That's 11 months a year your system is running one mode or the other, with barely a break between. Summer afternoons averaging 92°F push the compressor hard, day after day. Winter nights averaging 40°F aren't brutal, but the furnace or heat pump still cycles on and off for months straight, and most homes here heat with gas, so a cracked igniter or a failed inducer motor means no heat at all, not just less of it.
The county has also logged 54 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 17% of households lost power for a day or more in 2024. When power drops and comes back, most systems restart on their own. But a storm that knocks branches into a condenser unit or leaves it running through a surge can shorten what should have been years of service into a single season.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $130 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Sacramento County home.
Estimates for a typical Sacramento 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.
The Contractors State License Board is the body that licenses HVAC contractors in California. That license means the state tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, and it covers the contractor as a whole, not this one job.
For a repair to a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is not tied to this specific job, it is tied to the contractor doing every job they take on. The license is the record California keeps, and it is what the state points to if the work was done by someone who should not have been doing it.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is set above the room temperature, then check the batteries if it has a screen that looks dim. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. Gas furnaces need power even to run the gas valve and igniter, so if the power to the furnace is off, nothing will happen when you turn the heat up. If the breaker is fine and the furnace still won't fire, it could be the igniter, the flame sensor, or the gas supply itself, and that's worth having a licensed contractor look at.
- 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 when there's not enough air moving past it, the coil can ice over and stop cooling the air at all. Next check that the outdoor unit isn't blocked by plants, leaves, or debris, since it needs open airflow to release the heat it's pulling out of your house. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the system may be low on refrigerant, and that's not something to add yourself. A licensed contractor can find the leak and recharge it properly.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the batteries if it uses them, and the breaker for the system. Check the air filter next and replace it if it looks gray or packed with dust. If you have a gas furnace, look for a reset button near the burner compartment and check that the gas shutoff valve on the line is turned to open. For an outdoor AC unit, clear away any leaves, grass clippings, or branches sitting against it. If none of that fixes it, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong.