HVAC Repair in Santa Rosa, CA
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Sonoma County will get in touch.
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Seven months of heat, mild summers, and power that doesn't always hold
Your furnace carries the season here. From November through May it runs most nights, cycling on and off as the temperature outside drops into the 40s. Each start puts a small load on the igniter and the burner. Over enough winters that wear catches up, and the furnace either struggles to light or stops lighting at all.
Summer asks less of the system. Afternoons average near 79°F, so the air conditioner isn't working as hard as the furnace does all winter. But Sonoma County gets its share of wind. Over the last ten years the area has seen 120 damaging wind events, and storms here knock out power. Most furnaces need electricity to run the blower and controls even when the burner itself lights with a standing pilot, and most water heaters simply come back on by themselves once the power returns.
- 7 months
- November through May, your system heats
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $90 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Sonoma County home.
Estimates for a typical Sonoma 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.
That license is issued by the Contractors State License Board, and it means the contractor was tested and is on record with the state, including any complaints filed against them. It covers the contractor, not the job, so it does not mean the state inspected this furnace or this coil before anyone started work.
For a repair job, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Whether it is the heating side or the cooling side of the system, the same state license is what backs the contractor doing either kind of repair.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most often it is the igniter, a flame sensor that needs cleaning, or the thermostat losing communication with the furnace. If your furnace runs on gas, check that the pilot light or igniter is lighting at all before you assume the worst. A tripped breaker or a switch near the furnace that got bumped off causes more no-heat calls than people expect, so check those first. If the furnace tries to start and shuts off again, that is usually a safety switch doing its job, and a contractor will need to find out why it tripped.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the system runs but the air coming out is not cold, check the filter first. A clogged filter starves the coil of airflow, and the coil can ice over as a result, which makes the problem worse the longer it runs. If the filter is clean and the air is still warm, the refrigerant charge or the outdoor unit itself likely needs a contractor to look at it. Also check the thermostat is actually set to cool, not fan only, since that alone can look like the system is running without cooling anything.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the filter and replace it if it is dirty, since a clogged filter causes problems that look like bigger failures. Check your thermostat batteries and settings, and check the breaker panel for anything tripped. If a storm came through recently, that is worth mentioning when you call, since Santa Rosa sees its share of damaging wind events and they can knock out power or trip a system's safety switch. Beyond that, a contractor licensed by the Contractors State License Board will need to diagnose it properly.