Most calls are a failed capacitor, a stuck contactor or a refrigerant leak; we carry the common parts for every major brand so the first visit is usually the only one. When a system is past saving we run a Manual J load calculation on the house, then quote a right-sized inverter system rather than the biggest unit on the truck.
Time on site
Repair 1–2 hours · install one day
Permit
City mechanical permit, pulled by us
Test
Third-party HERS duct test on every changeout
Lead time
Repairs same day · installs within a week
Diagnostic with the readings shown to you
New pad, disconnect and whip on installs
Refrigerant charge weighed in, not guessed
Thermostat set up and the app on your phone
Old equipment hauled and recycled
Furnaces
A furnace tune-up is a safety inspection first: carbon-monoxide reading at the registers, a camera look at the heat exchanger, flame sensor cleaned, gas pressure checked. If we find a cracked exchanger we show you the photo, shut it down and give you the repair-or-replace numbers on the spot. Replacements are two-stage 96% units sized to the ducts you actually have.
Time on site
Tune-up 60–90 min · replacement one day
Permit
City mechanical permit plus gas-line inspection
Test
Combustion analysis and CO check before we leave
Lead time
Tune-ups booked 1–2 weeks out in October
Carbon-monoxide reading at every register
Heat-exchanger camera inspection
Filter changed, blower wheel checked
Written report with photos
Rebate forms filed if you go heat pump instead
Heat pumps
One outdoor unit that cools in summer and heats in winter, replacing both the AC and the gas furnace. Santa Clara's January lows sit in the high 30s, well inside the range where a modern cold-climate inverter heat pump keeps full output. Ducted systems reuse your air handler location; ductless mini-splits suit bungalows and ADUs with no ducts at all.
Time on site
Ducted one day · 2–3 head mini-split two days
Permit
Mechanical plus electrical if the panel needs a circuit
Rebates
Silicon Valley Power and TECH Clean California, filed by us
Lead time
Usually 1–3 weeks, equipment dependent
Load calculation and a panel check first
Line sets hidden in the eave or a painted chase
Condensate pump where gravity won't do
Commissioning readings recorded and left with you
Rebate paperwork completed before invoice
Ductwork
Leaky, crushed or undersized ducts waste up to a third of what the system produces, and they're why one bedroom never cools. We pressure-test the system, seal joints with mastic (never tape), replace runs that are kinked or chewed, and size new trunks to the equipment. Every job ends with a HERS test so the leakage number is measured, not promised.
Time on site
Sealing one day · full replacement 1–2 days
Permit
Required on replacements; sealing is permit-free
Test
Duct leakage test before and after
Lead time
Within two weeks outside July
Before-and-after leakage numbers
R-8 insulated flex, metal trunks where it matters
Register balancing room by room
Attic access left as we found it
Photos of every connection
Indoor air quality
On smoke days and pollen weeks the fix is filtration and ventilation, not a plug-in gadget. A 4-inch MERV 13 media cabinet catches smoke particles without choking the blower; a whole-house fresh-air damper keeps CO2 down in tight newer homes; a bypass humidifier stops the winter static. We fit these during a tune-up where we can.
Time on site
Media cabinet 2 hours · ventilation half a day
Permit
Not required for filtration
Test
Static pressure checked so the blower isn't strained
Lead time
Same week
Static-pressure test before adding any filter
MERV 13 media cabinet with a year of filters
Fresh-air intake with a motorised damper
UV lamp only where the coil genuinely needs it
Honest advice when the answer is 'open a window'
Maintenance plans
A spring cooling visit and a fall heating visit, filters changed, condensate line cleared, refrigerant and electrical readings logged against last year's. Members get a text the week before, the same technician where we can, and the first open slot when the heat wave hits. The three tiers are Basic, Plus and Family, and they differ by visits per year and how many systems are covered.
Visits
Basic 1 · Plus 2 · Family 2, up to three systems
Scheduling
Priority for Plus and Family members
Term
No contract; cancel by phone
Pricing
Set per home after the first visit
21-point tune-up with readings logged
Filters supplied for the year on Plus and Family
After-hours call-outs at the daytime rate
Repair discount for members
Written report with photos after every visit
Not us: window units, commercial refrigeration, duct-cleaning trucks, swamp coolers. For those we'll give you the name of someone good. For everything else above, call (408) 555-0178 or send a message.
