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What we do, and how we decide
Every recommendation on this page starts with a measurement. That sounds obvious and it is genuinely not how most of this trade works.
Air conditioning repair
Most calls in July are one of half a dozen faults, and most of them are cheaper than people fear. The expensive version is a contractor swapping parts until something works and billing you for the education.
- Capacitors, contactors, relays and boards
- Condenser and blower motors
- Refrigerant leak search, recovery and recharge
- Frozen coils and airflow faults
- Condensate drains and float switches
- Thermostats, sensors and wiring
The fee: a flat diagnostic charge covers the visit and the diagnosis, and it comes off the repair if you go ahead. You hear the number on the phone before we come out.
Installation & replacement
An installation is mostly decisions taken before anything is unboxed. Getting the size right matters more here than almost anywhere in the Bay Area, because the load is real.
- Sizing
- Calculated from the house — square footage, orientation, glazing, insulation and shade. Oversized equipment short-cycles, never dehumidifies properly and wears out early; undersized equipment simply never catches up on a 104°F afternoon.
- The ducting comes first
- There is no point putting a larger system on ducting that cannot carry the air. We measure static pressure before quoting equipment, and sometimes the honest answer is that the duct budget matters more than the equipment budget.
- Paperwork
- Permit pulled, Title 24 documentation prepared, inspection scheduled, closed permit handed over — plus the rebate paperwork where the equipment qualifies.
Heating & heat pumps
Contra Costa winters are mild but genuinely cold at night, and a lot of houses here are still on a furnace installed a very long time ago. Heat-exchanger inspection is not a formality on equipment of that age.
It is also the part of the market changing fastest. A modern heat pump covers a valley winter comfortably and handles the summer at the same time, which turns two pieces of equipment into one.
- Furnace service and repair
- Heat-exchanger, flue and combustion checks
- Furnace replacement
- Heat-pump conversions
- Ductless mini-splits for additions and ADUs
- Thermostat and zoning upgrades
Ductwork
If one room is never comfortable, the ducting is the first suspect and the equipment is the last. In a valley attic that reaches 140°F, a leaking duct is not a small inefficiency — it is conditioned air being dumped into the hottest space in the house.
- Leak testing and sealing at joints, boots and the plenum
- Replacing crushed, disconnected or degraded flexible duct
- Enlarging or adding returns where the blower is starved
- Insulation upgrades on runs through unconditioned space
- Register and damper balancing for a difficult room
Indoor air quality
Filtration, ventilation and humidity have their own page, because in this valley they deserve one.
Seasonal maintenance
One visit in spring, before the system is asked to run flat out for five months. It is the cheapest hour on this page and the one most likely to stop a July emergency.
- Condenser coil cleaned — the single biggest cause of lost capacity
- Refrigerant charge verified against superheat and subcooling
- Capacitor measured against its rating, not eyeballed
- Contactor condition, terminal tightness and amp draws logged
- Condensate pan, trap and line cleared and treated
- Filter changed and the size written down for next time
- Static pressure measured, so airflow problems surface early
- Temperature split checked at the supply and return
Not sure which of these you need?
Describe what the house is doing and we will tell you. That part is free.