HVAC Repair in Vallejo, 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 Solano County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Vallejo asks a lot of both sides of your system
Your system works most of the year here. Heat from November through April, cooling from June through September. That's ten months where either the furnace or the AC has to work when you call on it.
Winter nights averaging 40°F don't push a furnace as hard as a harder freeze would, but the burner is still cycling on and off most nights for six months straight, and each cycle puts wear on the igniter. Summer afternoons averaging 88°F mean the AC is holding steady output for four months, and that load falls on the compressor and the capacitor that starts it. Solano County has seen 52 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and wind that knocks out power can knock out a system mid-cycle. Most furnaces and air conditioners come back on by themselves once power returns, but if yours doesn't, that's worth a call.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $120 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Solano County home.
Estimates for a typical Solano 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 license is issued to the contractor, not to the job. That means the same license that qualifies someone to install a furnace also qualifies them to repair one. California tested that contractor and keeps a record of the license, but it does not inspect or sign off on each repair.
For a repair like this, the license is what stands behind the person working on your system. Gas connections are the dangerous part of a heating repair, and in California that work falls under the same contractor license, tested and on record with the state.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace. If the display is blank, check the breaker and the switch that looks like a light switch near the unit, since that shuts the furnace off for service and sometimes gets bumped. A gas furnace that won't light can be out of gas, or the igniter can be worn out and no longer glowing hot enough to start the flame. If you hear the blower running but never feel heat, or you hear clicking with no ignition at all, that points to the igniter or the flame sensor and it is time to call a contractor.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- A system that runs but never cools is usually short on refrigerant or blocked from moving air. Check the filter first, since a clogged one starves the coil of airflow and can cause it to ice over, which stops cooling until it thaws. Look at the outdoor unit too. If the fan isn't spinning or it's caked in leaves and dirt, it can't release the heat it's pulling from the house. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and you still get warm air, the system likely needs a contractor to check the refrigerant charge.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings first, since a system set to the wrong mode or a dead thermostat battery looks exactly like a broken furnace or AC. Check the breaker panel next, since a tripped breaker is common after a storm and this area has had 52 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Replace the air filter if it looks gray or clogged, since restricted airflow causes both weak heat and weak cooling. If the system still won't run right after those checks, a licensed contractor will need to look at it, since California requires an HVAC contractor to hold a state license through the Contractors State License Board.