Repairs · San Francisco, CA
HVAC Repair in San Francisco
Compare licensed HVAC repair pros in San Francisco, CA. Typical repair tickets run $984–$10,024.
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Common HVAC repairs in San Francisco
- Heat pump not cooling on humid summer days — low refrigerant, frozen coil, or failing capacitor.
- Furnace short-cycling in winter — dirty flame sensor, oversized equipment, or thermostat miscalibration.
- AC blowing warm air — condenser-fan failure, tripped high-pressure switch, or refrigerant leak.
- Uneven temperatures room-to-room — failing zone damper, duct leakage, or blower-motor issue.
- Loud banging, squealing, or grinding from the air handler — bearings, belt, or blower-wheel imbalance.
- Thermostat shows the right setpoint but the system won't start — control board, transformer, or wiring fault.
- Water pooling at the air handler — clogged condensate drain or cracked pan.
- Frozen evaporator coil that keeps icing over — airflow restriction or low charge.
Ranked shortlist
Request quotes →- Magic Plumbing Heating & CoolingTop pickinstallationrepairemergency
What customers say “An outdoor drain was clogged, and a pool of water was forming after heavy rainstorms. Two other drains on up on an…”
What customers say “I contacted three companies to evaluate my air conditioning system, and all of them told me the unit was old, unusable,…”
- Cabrillo Plumbing, Heating & AirTop ratedinstallationrepairemergency
What customers say “I have been using Cabrillo for annual water heater maintenance and during a furnace repair ahead of things cooling off…”
- Same Day Air Conditioning & HeatingTop rated
What customers say “Based on the reviews, I was pretty hesitant to go with this company for a furnace repair when my home warranty company…”
- Next HVAC and Appliance repairTop rated
What customers say “Steve from Next HVAC was a nice guy and honest too. The furnace was getting an overheating error code the past 1.5…”
- San Francisco Expert Heating and AirTop rated
What customers say “While inspecting the heating system, the heating system check discovered a minor problem that could…”
- Mitch & Sons HVACTop rated
What customers say “When you feel like doing business with a family owned business that cares about their customers, then you need not go…”
What customers say “I cannot say enough great things about Airflow Pros. My elderly father’s furnace started making a high-pitched…”
Repair vs replace: quick decision tree
- Age > 15 years — Expect diminishing returns on any single repair. Start pricing replacement in parallel, especially if a second failure in the last 24 months.
- Repair cost > 50% of replacement — A $2,500 repair on an $8,000 system rarely pencils. Run the 5-year math: repair cost + likely follow-on failures vs new-system financing.
- Uses obsolete refrigerant (R-22) — R-22 is phased out; refills are both expensive and short-lived. Replacement is almost always the right call.
- Failed a major component (compressor, heat exchanger) — These are “the system”. A compressor on a 12-year-old condenser is a replacement signal, not a repair.
Typical repair cost range
Derived from local HVAC benchmarks in San Francisco. Most repair tickets fall well below full-system pricing — expect simple swaps (capacitor, ignitor, thermostat) at the low end and major component replacements (blower motor, control board, compressor) at the high end.
Estimate your San Francisco repair
Pick the repair type and your system's age for a ballpark range. Real quotes vary by part availability and diagnosis — use this as a sanity check before approving work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a typical HVAC repair take in San Francisco?
Most diagnoses take 30–60 minutes on site. Small repairs (capacitor swap, thermostat, ignitor) finish the same visit. Parts-on-order repairs can push the job 1–5 business days depending on supplier stock.
Do repairs come with a warranty?
Labor warranties of 30–90 days are common; parts usually carry the manufacturer's warranty (1–10 years). Always get the warranty terms in writing on the invoice before the tech leaves.
How do I avoid common repair scams?
Red flags: no written estimate before work starts, refrigerant refill with no leak search, blanket recommendation to replace without an inspection, or very high "after-hours" pricing on a non-emergency call. Two written quotes for any repair over $600 is the fastest sanity check.
When should I replace instead of repair?
When the repair estimate exceeds 50% of a new system, or the unit is past 15 years, or it uses obsolete refrigerant (R-22), replacement usually wins the 5-year math. Otherwise repair is almost always the better call.
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Licensing data: Contractors State License Board (CSLB) · Company data: verified business records + Google Business profile
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