Furnace Repair in Palo Alto

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Palo Alto winters are mild by most standards, but a cold snap on a December night is no time to find out the furnace will not light. Cool Aid repairs gas furnaces, heat pumps and wall heaters for Palo Alto homeowners, working from our Santa Clara shop with the same family-owned approach we have followed since 1966.

Heating in Palo Alto is a little different

Two things set this city apart from its neighbors. First, the gas that fuels most furnaces here comes from City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU), a city-owned utility that also supplies electricity, rather than from PG&E (source). Second, the city is steadily pushing homes toward all-electric heating, with rebates and a full-service program for replacing gas equipment with heat pumps. That does not mean your furnace has to go. It means that when a furnace is old and the repair is major, you have a well-supported alternative worth weighing.

Housing age plays a role too. Palo Alto has plenty of older homes with original or second-generation furnaces tucked into closets, basements and attics, and duct systems that have been modified several times. Many Eichler homes use radiant heat in the concrete slab rather than a forced-air furnace, and some of those have since added a furnace, heat pump or mini-splits. We ask what you have before we arrive so the right parts are on the truck.

Furnace problems we fix

No heat or intermittent heat

• Igniter or flame sensor failure: the burner tries to light, then shuts down. A dirty flame sensor is one of the most common winter calls.
• Pressure switch and inducer motor faults: the furnace clicks and hums but never fires.
• Thermostat and control board issues: wiring faults, failed boards and thermostats that no longer talk to the equipment.

Airflow, noise and cycling

• Short cycling: the furnace starts and stops repeatedly, often from overheating due to a clogged filter or restricted ducts.
• Blower motor failure: the burner lights but little or no air reaches the rooms.
• Rattling, squealing or banging: loose panels, worn bearings or delayed ignition, which we treat as a safety check.

Safety concerns

Any furnace repair includes a look at venting, the heat exchanger and gas connections. A cracked heat exchanger or a blocked flue can put carbon monoxide into the house, and we will tell you plainly if we find one.

Repair or move to a heat pump?

For a furnace in reasonable condition with a single failed part, repair is the sensible choice, and we will do it. When the furnace is near the end of its life, the heat exchanger is compromised, or you are also facing an AC replacement, it is worth pricing a heat pump. CPAU offers a heat pump HVAC rebate of up to $2,500, or $5,000 for income-eligible residents, when the heat pump replaces a gas or other fossil-fuel heater (source). The important catch is timing: you must reserve the rebate funds with a reservation application before installation starts. If you need the work done now, we can often repair the furnace to keep you warm while you reserve the rebate and plan a replacement properly. If you would rather keep gas heat and simply add or replace central air, our guide to AC installation in Palo Alto walks through that option.

CPAU also runs an Electrify My Home program for homeowners who want a full-service path to electrification, and offers a per-circuit rebate for electrical upgrades tied to appliance changes. Our Palo Alto heat pump installation page covers the details, and our Bay Area heat pump rebates page compares programs across the region.

Why Palo Alto homeowners call Cool Aid

• California C-20 and C-38 licensed, with EPA Universal certified technicians.
• Family-owned since 1966, founded by Glenn McKinny, a former US Navy Chief Engineer, and run today by his son Jim McKinny.
• Experience with Daikin, Amana, Goodman, York, Trane, Carrier and other common brands.
• 24/7 emergency service. See our emergency HVAC repair page for what to do while you wait.
• A 1-year parts and labor warranty on every job.

Learn more before winter

Our Bay Area furnace and heating guide explains how furnaces work, what wears out and how long they typically last. An annual checkup is the best way to avoid a no-heat night; our yearly HVAC maintenance page lists what we inspect. For repairs beyond heating, visit our residential HVAC repair services page or our Palo Alto AC repair page, and for everything we do in the city see Palo Alto HVAC and refrigeration services. If you are comparing contractors, our list of HVAC companies in Palo Alto includes companies other than ours.

Schedule furnace repair in Palo Alto

Frequently asked questions

Written and reviewed by Jim McKinny, owner of Cool Aid Air Conditioning & Refrigeration — California C-20 and C-38 licensed, EPA Universal certified, second generation of a family business serving the Bay Area since 1966. Every job we complete is backed by our 1-year parts & labor warranty.