HVAC Repair in Salinas, CA
Homes here need heat from November through May and cooling from July through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Monterey County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year, on a coast that loses power
Your furnace runs November through May in Salinas, then the AC takes over July through September. Winter nights averaging 38°F mean the burner cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle puts wear on the igniter and the sensors that watch the flame. When one of them finally fails, the furnace stops lighting and you notice fast, because the house cools down quick on a night that cold.
Summer afternoons near 85°F push the other direction, and the compressor and fan run long to keep up. That kind of steady load is what ends a compressor's life. Add in the wind. Monterey County has logged 156 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 17% of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A system that loses power mid-cycle and doesn't restart on its own can leave you without heat or air until someone looks at it.
- 7 months
- November through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- July through September, it cools
- 38°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 $100 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Monterey County home.
Estimates for a typical Monterey 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 tests contractors before they are licensed and keeps a record of who holds a license. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers this repair and every other job that contractor takes on.
For a repair to a heating and cooling system, that license is what stands behind the work. It tells you the state has checked this contractor's qualifications and has them on file, which is the protection California puts in place before anyone touches your system.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often it is the igniter, a tripped limit switch, or the thermostat set wrong or dead on batteries. Gas furnaces will not fire if the igniter has failed or the flame sensor is too dirty to sense a flame. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and above room temperature. Check the breaker too, and look for any switch near the furnace that looks like a light switch. With winter nights here averaging 38°F, a furnace that stays down for even a night is worth calling in a licensed contractor to look at.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The air handler running without cool air usually means the outdoor unit isn't doing its job, or airflow is blocked somewhere. Start with the filter. A clogged filter chokes the airflow the whole system depends on, and it's the one thing a homeowner can actually fix. If the filter is clean, check that the outdoor unit isn't caked in leaves or grass clippings, since that unit needs open airflow around it to release heat. If the coil inside has iced over, turn the system off and let it thaw before running it again. Anything beyond that, like low refrigerant or a failing compressor, needs a licensed contractor with gauges.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first. Look at the mode, the set temperature, and the batteries if it has a screen that's dim or blank. Check the breaker panel for a tripped switch. Check any power switch near the furnace or air handler too, since those get bumped off more often than people expect. If the system is a furnace, check that the filter isn't blocking airflow, and check that vents in the house are open and not blocked by furniture. If the outdoor unit isn't running, look for anything piled against it that would block airflow. None of this replaces a real diagnosis, but it rules out the simple causes before a contractor has to.