Services & Unservices
Highly Specialized
–
Furnace and Air Conditioner Repair
I repair central heating and air conditioning equipment for homeowners in their primary home.* Equipment repair is an underserved niche in which I excel. Even so, as this recording explains, I’ll certainly recommend equipment replacement when it makes sense.
If you’re not sure if your equipment needs repair, call me. We’ll figure it out over the phone. Even if I don’t provide the service you need, I can still probably help you over the phone. I have lots of knowledge that comes from decades of experience that I’m happy to share with you.
Click Here for Installation
If they’re a good match for your project, there is another contractor I refer for installation. To be frank, “good match” really means “Can you afford them?” They aren’t the most expensive, but they’ll probably cost significantly more than a cheap contractor.
As for me, I currently perform equipment repair only. Repair requires more brain and less brawn than installation, hence the preference. I also don’t do most things that are related to installation, like correcting another contractor’s poor installation.
You can learn a lot about installation here. I wrote that back when I was still doing installations. When it comes to buying new equipment, you can’t rely on Consumer Reports, Yelp, or anything like that. You have to rely on yourself by learning what’s on that page.
Click Here for Unservices
Unservices is not a word? I reconcur!
* With some exception, I only work for homeowners in their primary home. Exceptions include some past customers, etc. If you have a rental, and if I agree to perform service on it, then I usually ask for the homeowner to be there during the diagnosis. Whenever possible I want homeowners to see the diagnosis as it happens. Not all second opinion requests are accepted. I’m happy to talk about it on the phone.
I don’t perform very many elective inspections or checkups or maintenances or tune-ups. In other words, if your equipment is working well then I may be reluctant to look at it. That’s because, believe it or not, there are downside risks to purely elective inspections. If you’re not sure how your equipment is doing, or if you want to know more about the risks associated with elective checks, give me a call and we’ll talk.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though I’m reluctant to perform purely elective inspections, that does not mean should not have your HVAC equipment checked periodically. You most certainly should have periodic inspections of your HVAC equipment, especially if you have gas appliances. PG&E provides free safety inspections of gas appliances.
I don’t work on ducts, ceiling-wall-window mounted equipment, portable equipment, LPG burning equipment, fire or flood damaged equipment, fireplaces, floor furnaces, resistance-only heating, hot water heating, mini-split systems, swamp coolers, or refrigerators.
I do not offer design services1, paid consultation services2, free estimates3, duct cleaning4, duct inspection, air balancing, air quality services, major correction of botched installations, certain kinds of diagnosis-only service, certain kinds of service during a home sale, or service to most businesses.
I don’t usually repair water leaks or water drainage problems for new customers. I also don’t usually process warranties for parts that I did not install. Those may sound like strange policies, but they help me to stay sane. I can explain more over the phone and we can talk about the possibility of you being an exception.
I’m not particularly interested in working on HVAC equipment that’s less than 5 years old or over 35 years old. That may also sound strange, but it’s a common refrain amongst experienced repairmen. If it’s under 5 then many customers assume it’ll be cheap or free because of the warranty or whatever. If it’s not cheap then some customers shoot the messenger, so to speak. If it’s over 35 then it stands a much higher chance of repeat failure sooner rather than later. If there is a repeat problem then once again the messenger can take it on the chin. I may consider working on very young or very old equipment, and I certainly do sometimes, but I won’t promise you anything until after we talk.
I don’t work at buildings where accessing the equipment is an inordinate challenge or where parking for a large vehicle is unavailable. That includes The Mercer, Montecito, Wayside Plaza, 1808 Cole Avenue, some buildings at Main Chance, etc.
1. You can learn a lot about design here.
2. I may give free advice over the phone.
3. I do give prices here and over the phone.
4. Duct cleaning is a mostly worthless service.†.
† Opens a new tab to my new site dedicated to education.