Heating & cooling
AC & HVAC repair in Richmond.
Wall furnaces fixed instead of condemned, and honest replacements when the math says so.
Richmond covers 94801, 94804, 94805, and 94806, and most of it is older bungalow and mid-century stock through the Annex, the Iron Triangle, and out toward Hilltop. The heating in these houses is wall furnaces, floor furnaces, and old gravity conversions, and most of them never had air conditioning because the bay rarely made it necessary. The right first move on this equipment is almost always a repair, and that is the call we run most here.
Point Richmond and the Marina Bay waterfront are the other layer: restored Victorians and newer townhomes with compact ducted systems from the 80s and 90s that are reaching the end. On the waterfront, marine air eats outdoor coils and cabinets, which moves the repair-versus-replace line earlier than the calendar would.
We are based in San Ramon, a 40 to 45 minute run up 580, and we pair Richmond with the Berkeley and Oakland route. EPA Section 608 Universal certified, CSLB #1136642. The diagnostic is $75, credited toward the repair when you book it, with a written quote before any work starts.
Wall and floor furnaces: repair first
A wall furnace that will not light usually needs a thermocouple, a pilot assembly, or a gas valve, all stocked parts and a same-visit fix in most cases. Floor furnaces fail the same predictable ways. Some outfits use every old-furnace call to sell a new system; we do not. If the heat exchanger is sound and parts exist, we repair it and write down what we found. If it is genuinely unsafe or unrepairable, we say that in writing too, and you decide from there.
Marina Bay, Point Richmond, and salt air
The waterfront townhomes mostly run compact ducted systems that went in with the buildings and are now past design life. Marine air speeds that up: corroded coils leak refrigerant, rusted cabinets fail early, and a corroded coil left alone will eventually take the compressor with it. We are EPA 608 certified, so leak diagnosis and refrigerant work are done legally and logged. A yearly coil rinse is cheap insurance this close to the water, and our maintenance service covers exactly that kind of preventive work.
When replacement actually makes sense
When an old furnace is truly done, the practical replacement in this climate is often a heat pump: efficient heat all winter, cooling included for the hot stretches that have been getting longer, and one machine instead of two. For the bungalows that never had ducts, ductless mini-splits do the job without cutting chases into an old house. We quote replacement only when the repair math stops working, and we show both numbers so you can check our reasoning.
Common questions, Richmond.
- Do you actually repair old wall furnaces, or just sell replacements?
We repair them. Thermocouples, pilot assemblies, gas valves, and limit switches cover most wall furnace failures and most are fixed in one visit. We only recommend replacement when the heat exchanger is compromised or parts no longer exist, and we put that finding in writing so you are not taking our word on faith.
- Is air conditioning worth it in Richmond?
For most of the city, a full AC system is hard to justify on a few hot weeks a year. But if your furnace is at the end anyway, a heat pump replaces it and brings cooling along at little extra cost. That is the case where it pencils out. We will tell you straight if your situation is not that case.
- What does an HVAC service call cost in Richmond?
The diagnostic is $75 and it is credited toward the repair when you book it with us. You get a written quote before work begins. We are EPA Section 608 Universal certified and CSLB licensed under #1136642, and we run Richmond with our Berkeley and Oakland route.
Heating & cooling