Heating System Repair in Palo Alto & Silicon Valley

Heating Repair from a Licensed Silicon Valley HVAC Contractor

Gas furnace repair is the highest-volume call we run from November through February. Failure patterns are predictable: a cracked or contaminated hot surface igniter (Norton 271N replacement, $200-$340), a flame sensor coated with combustion residue ($180-$280 cleaning or replacement), a draft inducer motor with seized bearings on Goodman or Rheem 80% units 10+ years old ($380-$780), a pressure switch failing closed or open from condensate water in the sensing tube ($220-$420), or a control board with a blown fuse from a shorted thermostat wire ($340-$680). We diagnose with sequential operation testing — call for heat, observe inducer ramp, watch for HSI glow, listen for gas valve click, verify flame, confirm blower start. The failure point reveals itself in the sequence.

Hydronic boiler repair is the Eichler specialty. Joseph Eichler built about 2,700 mid-century modern homes in Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino, and Sunnyvale-adjacent neighborhoods between 1950 and 1974. Most use copper or PEX radiant tubing embedded in a 4-inch concrete slab, fed by a small natural gas boiler — typically a Weil-McLain CGS, a Lochinvar Knight, or an older Teledyne Laars LITE. Common failures: lost expansion tank precharge (boiler short-cycles on pressure relief, $250-$420 to recharge or replace), failed Taco 007 circulator pump ($380-$650 with new flange gaskets), zone valve actuator stuck (Honeywell V8043 or Taco SR503, $280-$520), and flat-plate heat exchanger fouled with calcium ($400-$900 chemical clean or replacement). The radiant tubing itself is essentially permanent — we have never replaced an Eichler slab loop in 11 years.

Heat pump heating-mode repair has its own failure catalog. The reversing valve (a four-way solenoid that determines whether the system runs in cooling or heating) sticks in cool mode after long summer use — symptom is heat pump running but blowing room-temp air on a 40°F morning. We diagnose by feeling line temperatures and listening for the solenoid click on a heat call. Replacement runs $850-$1,800 because the valve is brazed into the refrigerant circuit and requires recovery, valve removal, brazing, vacuum, and recharge. Defrost board failures are next most common — the unit ices up the outdoor coil because the defrost cycle never initiates, $340-$720 to replace. Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat MUZ-FH and MUZ-FS series have a unique base pan heater that fails and causes ice damming; that part is $180-$320.

Electric heat strip repair (the auxiliary heat backup on most Bay Area heat pump air handlers and the primary heat on some all-electric Eichler retrofits) is straightforward but requires care. A 10kW heat strip pulls about 42 amps at 240V — a failed sequencer relay can leave one element energized continuously and trip the high-limit, while a failed limit switch can disable the strip even when fine. Diagnostic uses a clamp meter on each leg and a multimeter on the limit switch terminals. Sequencer replacement runs $260-$480, element replacement (uncommon, the elements rarely fail) runs $350-$680. Always verify the breaker is sized correctly to the strip — we routinely find 60-amp breakers feeding 10kW strips that should have 50-amp protection, a fire risk we correct under separate electrical work.

A note on diagnostic-first repair: cheap heating contractors will swap parts until something works, which is expensive for you. We always confirm the failure with measurement before quoting. A short-cycling furnace gets its flame sensor microamp reading taken (target 1.5-5 µA, anything under 0.7 µA confirms sensor failure). A boiler that won't fire gets a manometer on the gas valve. A heat pump that won't heat gets line temps and reversing valve solenoid voltage tested. The diagnostic is included with the repair when approved; if you want only diagnostic with no repair, the fee is $89-$149 and we give you a written report you can take to another contractor.

What's Included in Every Heating Repair Job

• Same-day dispatch within 35 miles of Palo Alto, 24/7 emergency available
• Combustion analysis with Bacharach Fyrite on every gas heating job
• CO testing in supply registers and living space
• Hydronic boiler diagnostics: pressure, expansion tank charge, circulator amp draw
• Heat pump reversing valve, defrost, and refrigerant-side diagnostics
• Electric heat strip element and sequencer testing with clamp meter
• Eichler radiant slab boiler specialty service
• OEM parts where available; warrantied alternatives clearly disclosed
• 1-year labor warranty on every repair
• Photo and reading documentation included on invoice

Common Heating Repair Issues We Resolve

Our Heating Repair Process

Local Context: Heating Repair in Silicon Valley

The Bay Area heating mix is unusually diverse for a single contractor service area. Within a 5-mile radius around Palo Alto we service gas forced-air in Crescent Park ranches, hydronic radiant slab in Eichler tracts in Greenmeadow and Fairmeadow, ductless mini-splits in solar-equipped Eichler retrofits, and ducted heat pumps in newly electrified College Terrace homes. The rest of Silicon Valley adds 1960s tract gas furnaces in Willow Glen and Almaden Valley San Jose, propane forced-air in Portola Valley and Woodside hills, and a growing volume of all-electric heat pump conversions driven by TECH Clean California rebates ($1,000-$3,000) and federal IRA 25C credits ($2,000). Bay Area winter lows in inland zip codes drop to 32-38°F overnight 20-40 nights per year — enough to expose marginal heating equipment but mild enough that no single brand or technology dominates the way gas furnaces dominate Sacramento or heat pumps dominate Phoenix.

HVAC Brands We Service for Heating Repair

Heating Repair FAQ