Heating and cooling systems rarely fail politely, and in Oakland, CA, a breakdown usually arrives on the hottest afternoon or the coldest night of the year. The tricky part is how many different failures produce the same symptom. A system that runs but never reaches temperature might be fighting a weak run capacitor, a pitted contactor, a low refrigerant charge, a dirty flame sensor, or simply a filter so clogged the blower is starving for air. A system that will not start at all could be a tripped float switch on a backed-up condensate drain, a failed transformer, a bad thermostat, or a control board that has stopped sequencing the equipment.
Most of our service calls are for AC Repair and Furnace Repair. Start there if your system isn't running right.
Warning Signs for HVAC Repair
Recognizing the warning signs early can save you time and money. These are the signals our technicians see most often:
- Weak airflow from the supply registers throughout the house
- A circuit breaker that keeps tripping when the system starts
- The system short-cycling on and off without reaching the set temperature
- Higher energy bills with no improvement in comfort
- Water around the indoor unit from a clogged condensate drain
- Grinding, squealing, buzzing, or banging you have not heard before
- Air at the registers that is the wrong temperature for the mode you selected
- An outside unit that buzzes but will not start
Don't Wait for a Total Failure
A failing capacitor, clogged condensate drain, or dirty flame sensor rarely fixes itself and usually gets more expensive to address the longer it runs. At the first hint of a problem, call (510) 201-4731 for a fast inspection.
