Residential Heater Repair in Santa Rosa, CA
When your heater quits on a cold Santa Rosa night, you don’t have time to wait around. Stout’s Heating & AC has been fixing furnaces, heat pumps, and heating systems throughout Sonoma County since 1992. We know exactly what goes wrong with heaters in Wine Country homes, and we’re ready to help when yours stops working.
Whether you’re dealing with a furnace that won’t turn on in Fountaingrove, strange noises coming from your heat pump in Bennett Valley, or cold air blowing through your vents in Railroad Square, we’ve got you covered. Our licensed technicians carry the parts and tools needed to fix most heating problems on the first visit.
Furnace Special
Save Upto
$1000
On a new high efficiency furnace and free smart thermostat install
Replacement Offer
0%
Free iWave Purifier
Free Annual Maintenance
Why Your Heater Stops Working (And What We Do About It)
Here’s the thing about heaters in Santa Rosa: they work hard during those cold, foggy mornings and chilly winter nights. After years of heating homes through Sonoma County’s cool season, things start to wear out. Most heater problems we see aren’t mysterious at all. They’re pretty predictable, actually.
The ignitor fails. This is the number one reason furnaces stop heating. That little component that lights your gas burner? It gets brittle over time and cracks. You’ll notice your furnace trying to start but never quite getting there. We replace ignitors all the time. Takes about an hour, and your heat’s back on.
The thermostat acts up. People often think their whole furnace is broken when really, it’s just the thermostat. If your home in Rincon Valley feels colder than what the thermostat says, or your heat never kicks on at all, we’ll check the thermostat first. Sometimes it’s as simple as dead batteries or a loose wire.
The blower motor gives out. When you hear your furnace running but don’t feel any air coming through the vents, that’s usually your blower motor. These motors run thousands of hours each winter. They eventually wear down, especially in older systems. Replacing a blower motor gets heat flowing through your house again.
Pilot lights won’t stay lit. For homes in Oakmont or South Park with older gas furnaces, pilot light problems are common. Could be a dirty pilot assembly, a bad thermocouple, or air in the gas line. Our technicians can diagnose which one it is and get your pilot burning steady again.
The heat exchanger cracks. This one’s serious. If we find a cracked heat exchanger during our inspection, we’ll shut your system down right away. It’s a safety issue. Carbon monoxide can leak into your home through cracks in the heat exchanger. Depending on your furnace’s age, you might need a replacement rather than a repair.
Same-Day Heater Repair Throughout Santa Rosa
We run service calls all day across Santa Rosa. From Downtown to Coffey Park, from the Junior College area down to Roseland. Most repairs happen the same day you call us. Why? Because we stock our trucks with the parts that fail most often. Ignitors, thermostats, capacitors, flame sensors, pressure switches. If your heater needs one of these, we probably have it on the truck.
When you call for heater repair, here’s what happens. We’ll ask a few questions about what’s going on with your system. This helps us bring the right parts. Then we’ll give you a time window for when our technician will show up. We’re usually there within a couple hours for emergency calls, or we can schedule something that works better for your day.
Our technician will check your whole heating system. Not just the broken part. We want to make sure nothing else is about to fail. You’ll get a full explanation of what’s wrong, what it’ll cost to fix, and how long the repair will take. No surprises. If you want us to go ahead, we’ll get it fixed right then.
Emergency Heater Repair (Because Furnaces Don’t Break on Schedule)
Heaters love to quit at the worst possible time. Saturday night. Christmas morning. 11 p.m. when you’ve got guests staying over. We get it. That’s why we offer 24/7 emergency repair service throughout Sonoma County.
If your furnace stops working and it’s genuinely an emergency, call us. We’ll get someone out to your home in Healdsburg, Windsor, Sebastopol, or anywhere in our service area. Yes, even in the middle of the night. Emergency calls cost more than regular service, but when you’re freezing, you need heat now.
Here’s what counts as an emergency: no heat at all when it’s cold outside, strong gas smell coming from your furnace, or carbon monoxide detector going off. Those situations need immediate attention for your family’s safety.
What Makes Santa Rosa Heaters Different
Living in Wine Country means dealing with some unique climate stuff. Those cold, foggy mornings from the coast? They put extra stress on your heating system because it has to work harder to warm up a cold house. Then you’ve got dry summers that can make components brittle.
Homes in Hidden Valley or Kawana Springs that sit in the fog belt run their heaters more than houses on the hillsides in Montecito Heights. More runtime means more wear and tear. We see this all the time. Your furnace isn’t broken. It’s just tired from working harder than systems in other neighborhoods.
Gas furnaces are everywhere in Santa Rosa because we’ve got good natural gas service. But that also means we need to watch for issues with gas valves, burners, and combustion. Electric furnaces and heat pumps are getting more popular, especially in newer homes around Annadel and the West End. Each type has its own common problems.
Types of Heating Systems We Repair
Gas Furnaces: Most homes in Santa Rosa heat with natural gas. We work on every brand. Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Rheem, Goodman, York, Bryant, Coleman. Doesn’t matter how old your furnace is. If it can be fixed, we’ll fix it. Common repairs include ignitor replacement, gas valve service, burner cleaning, and flame sensor work.
Electric Furnaces: These systems use heating elements instead of burning gas. They’re simple, which is nice. But when a heating element burns out, you’ll notice right away. We replace heating elements, sequencers, and circuit breakers for electric furnaces throughout Sonoma County.
Heat Pumps: More homes are switching to heat pumps because they’re efficient. We repair both traditional heat pumps and ductless mini-split systems. Reversing valves, compressors, refrigerant leaks, defrost controls. Heat pump repairs need someone who understands refrigeration. That’s us.
Boilers: Some older homes in Piner or near Spring Lake Regional Park still have boiler systems. Hot water or steam heat. We service boilers too. Circulator pumps, zone valves, expansion tanks, pressure relief valves. Boiler work requires specific knowledge. Our technicians have it.
How We Figure Out What’s Wrong
Good diagnostics save you money. We don’t just swap parts until something works. We test your system properly to find the real problem.
First, we’ll talk with you about what’s happening. When did the problem start? Any strange noises or smells? Has your energy bill gone up? This info helps us narrow down the possibilities.
Then we run through a systematic check. Thermostat operation. Power supply to the furnace. Safety switches. Ignition system. Gas pressure. Airflow. Combustion analysis for gas furnaces. We use multimeters, manometers, and combustion analyzers. Not guessing. Testing.
If your furnace in Bellevue Ranch won’t turn on, we might find a tripped circuit breaker, a failed transformer, or a bad control board. Each possibility gets checked off the list until we find the culprit. You’ll know exactly what failed and why before we touch anything.
Heater Repair Costs in Santa Rosa
People always want to know what a repair will cost. Fair question. Problem is, every situation’s different. Replacing a thermostat runs $150 to $300. Swapping out an ignitor costs $200 to $400. A new blower motor might be $400 to $800 depending on your furnace model.
Bigger repairs cost more. Heat exchanger replacement can run $1,200 to $2,500. At that point, you’re better off getting a new furnace in most cases. Control board replacement falls in the $400 to $800 range. Gas valve work runs $300 to $600.
We always give you the price before we start the repair. If it’s going to cost more than fixing makes sense, we’ll tell you. Sometimes the honest answer is that your 20-year-old furnace has done its job and deserves retirement.
Maintenance Prevents Most Problems
Want to know a secret? Most heater repairs we do could’ve been prevented. Annual maintenance catches small problems before they become big ones. A dirty flame sensor gets cleaned during a tune-up instead of causing a no-heat call in January.
Our maintenance service includes everything your heater needs to run right. We’ll clean the burners, check the heat exchanger, test the ignition system, measure gas pressure, inspect electrical connections, lubricate moving parts, and check your thermostat calibration. Takes about an hour. Costs way less than an emergency repair.
Homes in Fulton or near the Sonoma County Fairgrounds should get maintenance done in the fall, before you really need your heat. October or November works great. Your system’s ready when those first cold mornings hit.
Why Santa Rosa Homeowners Choose Stout’s
We’ve been fixing heaters in Sonoma County for over 30 years. That’s a lot of furnace repairs. A lot of cold homes made warm again. A lot of families helped when they needed it.
Here’s what you get when you call us: Licensed and insured technicians who know what they’re doing. Trucks stocked with common parts so we can fix your heater today, not next week. Straightforward pricing. No hidden fees or surprise charges. And honest advice. If your furnace is toast, we’ll tell you. If it can be fixed affordably, we’ll fix it.
We hold a California C-20 HVAC contractor license. Our technicians are NATE certified. We’re EPA certified for refrigerant handling. These aren’t just letters. They mean we’ve proven we know how to work on heating systems safely and correctly.
You’ll also get real people on the phone when you call. Not a recording. Not a call center in another state. Someone from our office who can actually help you.
Service Areas Beyond Santa Rosa
We service all of Sonoma County. Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Cotati, Sonoma. If you’re in the area and your heater’s broken, we’ll come fix it. Same great service whether you’re in downtown Santa Rosa or out in the county.
Signs Your Heater Needs Professional Repair
Don’t wait until your heater completely dies. These warning signs mean you should call for service:
Strange noises. Banging, squealing, rattling, or rumbling sounds aren’t normal. They indicate loose parts, worn bearings, or ignition problems. The sooner we check it out, the less damage happens to other components.
Yellow or flickering pilot light. Your pilot flame should be blue. A yellow flame means incomplete combustion, which can create carbon monoxide. This needs immediate attention. Don’t mess around with this one.
Uneven heating. If your bedroom in Skyhawk stays cold while your living room’s toasty, something’s wrong with your system. Could be ductwork issues, a struggling blower, or thermostat problems.
Higher energy bills. When your furnace works harder to heat your home, you’ll see it in your PG&E bill. Efficiency drops as components wear out or get dirty.
Frequent cycling. Your heater shouldn’t turn on and off every few minutes. Short cycling means something’s wrong. Dirty filter, bad thermostat, or an oversized system are common causes.
Age. If your furnace is over 15 years old and needs repairs, it’s worth considering replacement. Older systems break more often and cost more to run.
Ready to Get Your Heat Back?
Your family shouldn’t have to bundle up in their own home. If your heater’s acting up or not working at all, give us a call. We’ll send someone out to take a look, figure out what’s wrong, and get your heat running again.
Stout’s Heating & AC serves Santa Rosa and all of Sonoma County with honest, professional heater repair service. Licensed, insured, and ready to help when you need us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does a typical heater repair take?
Most repairs we do take between one and three hours. Simple fixes like replacing a thermostat or flame sensor? About an hour. More involved work like swapping a blower motor or fixing a gas valve might take three hours. If we need to order a special part, we'll make sure you understand the timeline before we leave.
Do you charge for the diagnostic visit?
Yes, there's a service call fee to come out and diagnose the problem. That fee goes toward the repair if you decide to move forward with our work. We don't do free estimates on repairs because proper diagnosis takes time and knowledge. You're paying for our expertise in figuring out what's actually wrong with your system.
Can I fix my heater myself?
You can handle some basic maintenance. Changing your air filter every month or two helps a lot. Keeping the area around your furnace clear is important. Beyond that? Heater repair needs proper tools, training, and licensing. Gas furnaces especially shouldn't be DIY projects. There's fire risk and carbon monoxide danger if something goes wrong. Save yourself the headache and call a professional.
Will my old furnace parts still be available?
Usually, yes. Most furnace manufacturers support their equipment with parts for 10 to 15 years minimum. Even discontinued models often have aftermarket parts available. Once in a while we run into a really old system where parts are impossible to find. In those cases, replacement makes more sense than repair.
How do I know if I need repair or replacement?
Good rule of thumb: if the repair costs more than half what a new furnace would cost, and your system's over 12 to 15 years old, replacement probably makes more sense. We'll give you both options with honest pricing. Sometimes a $300 repair buys you three more years. Other times, putting $1,500 into a 20-year-old furnace just doesn't add up.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Get out of your house immediately. Don't flip any light switches or do anything that could create a spark. Once you're outside and safe, call PG&E and then call us. Gas leaks are serious emergencies. We'll come out right away to find and fix the leak.
Do you work on all furnace brands?
Yes. We service every major brand. Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, Ruud, Bryant, York, Coleman, Amana. Doesn't matter if your furnace is old or new, expensive or basic. If it heats homes in Santa Rosa, we work on it.
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