Top-rated independent heating and cooling across California's Central Valley and the Sierra foothills
Heat Pump Repair — Book a Visit Today
We repair heat pumps across California and Nevada, whether the system stopped heating, gets stuck in defrost, or the dual-fuel changeover never hands off to the furnace. The common failures we find are reversing valves that will not shift, failed defrost boards and sensors, low refrigerant charge from a leak, bad contactors and capacitors, and outdoor coils packed with dust, cottonwood and lawn clippings. A visit starts with what you are feeling at the vents, then we read the thermostat call, check the outdoor unit under load, measure temperatures and pressures, and test the controls that decide heating from cooling. You get told what failed and what the repair involves before we start. Call us with your address and what the system is doing, and we will get you on the schedule.
Call (888) 381-2953- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM PT
The heat pump symptoms we hear most
- The air from my vents feels cool even though the heat is on Reversing valve stuck in cooling, low refrigerant charge, or a thermostat wired for the wrong mode
- The outdoor unit is covered in ice and stays that way Failed defrost control board, bad defrost sensor, or restricted airflow at the outdoor coil
- The system runs all day and the house never warms up Refrigerant leak, failing compressor, dirty coils, or auxiliary heat that is not coming on
- My furnace never kicks in on the cold mornings Dual-fuel changeover fault, outdoor sensor out of range, or a control board not staging correctly
- Loud bang or whoosh from the outdoor unit every hour or so Normal defrost sound in some cases, otherwise a reversing valve or expansion device problem
Search for it as heat pump repair or heat pump service and you land in the same place: one visit, one written quote.
Safe things to check first
Worth a look before you call — sometimes it saves you the visit.
- 1target set point is above room temperature, then swap the thermostat batteries if the screen is dim or blank
- 2Look for a tripped breaker at the panel for both the indoor air handler and the outdoor unit, and reset it once only
- 3Pull the filter and hold it to the light, replacing it if you cannot see through it
- 4Clear leaves, cottonwood, weeds and stored items back from all sides of the outdoor unit so air can move through it
How we compare to other HVAC companies
| Central Valley Air | Big-box repair chains | Handyman listings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written quote before any work | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live answer seven days a week | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Every major brand, gas or electric | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Independent, no manufacturer quotas | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Crews familiar with homes like yours | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
The same on every visit
The quote comes first, in writing
Covering 123 cities across California, Nevada.Phones answered by people
Open 7 days, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT.Independent of every manufacturer
Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman and more. We are not an authorized dealer for any of them.Heat Pump Repair — quick answers
Why is my heat pump blowing cool air in heating mode?
Most often the reversing valve has not shifted into heating, the refrigerant charge is low from a leak, or the thermostat is calling for the wrong mode. We measure temperature rise across the indoor coil and test the valve and controls to tell which it is.
Is ice on the outdoor unit normal in winter?
A light frost that clears during a defrost cycle is normal. A thick shell of ice that stays on the coil for hours is not, and usually points to a failed defrost board, a bad sensor, or airflow blocked at the outdoor coil. Call us before it worsens.
What is auxiliary or emergency heat, and should I use it?
Auxiliary heat is the electric strip or gas furnace that backs up the heat pump in cold weather. Using emergency heat as a stopgap will keep the house warm, but it costs more to run and it means the heat pump side needs to be looked at.
How does a dual-fuel system decide between heat pump and furnace?
A control uses an outdoor temperature reading and a set changeover point to switch from the heat pump to the gas furnace when it gets cold. When the sensor drifts or the board fails, you get either a cold house or a furnace running when it should not.
Can a heat pump be repaired or does it need replacing?
Most calls are repairs. Capacitors, contactors, defrost boards, sensors and fan motors are all replaceable parts. Replacement comes into the conversation with a failed compressor or a large refrigerant leak in an older system, and we will lay out both options.
Do you handle both the heating and cooling side of a heat pump?
Yes. A heat pump is one system that reverses, so the same components serve both seasons. We handle air conditioning repair in summer and heating repair in winter on the same equipment, and we check the whole refrigerant circuit either way.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call or fill in the quote form. We ask what changed, when it started, and what the thermostat reads. That tells us whether to bring parts for a cooling fault or a heating fault.
- Step 2
We diagnose on site
A technician checks the thermostat, the electrical side, airflow through the filter and coil, refrigerant pressures, and the outdoor unit. You get told what failed and why, in plain words, before anything is replaced.
- Step 3
Repair and verify
We make the repair, then run the system and measure the results at the vents. If a part needs ordering, we say so and give you a realistic window instead of a vague promise.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Built for real valley heatWe work in areas where afternoons sit above 110 degrees and systems run for months without a break. That shapes how we size repairs, check capacitors and contactors, and judge whether a compressor is genuinely done.
- Attic and package unitsPlenty of homes across the region run attic air handlers or rooftop package units instead of a garage furnace and a side-yard condenser. We are used to the access, the duct runs, and the drain issues those setups bring.
- Dust and debris we expectAg dust, cottonwood fluff and grass clippings pack condenser coils and starve a system of airflow. We clean what we find and show you the difference, rather than adding refrigerant to a unit that just could not breathe.
- Heating too, not only ACFurnace repair, heat pump faults and no-heat calls get the same attention as summer work. Ignition problems, cracked or failing components and short cycling all get diagnosed before we recommend anything larger.
- All major brands, gas & electricFrom Carrier and Trane to Lennox, Goodman, Rheem and Bryant, serviced independently.
- Straight answersWhen a replacement beats a repair, we tell you, sometimes before we roll a truck.
Heat Pump Repair
Small faults become big ones on a schedule of their own
Describe the symptoms and we'll book the visit — takes about a minute.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
Rather not call? Get a free quote →