If your heat has quit in San Anselmo, the fix depends a lot on what kind of heating the house has. Many homes in this part of the Ross Valley were built between the early 1900s and the 1960s, and they still run on an older forced-air furnace, a wall furnace or a heating system that was converted from something older. Most no-heat calls trace back to one part: an igniter, a pilot assembly, a flame sensor, a limit switch or a blower motor. We test before replacing anything and give you an itemized price before the work starts.
Heating repair by type of system
| What heats the house | Common faults | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Older forced-air furnace | Igniter or pilot, flame sensor, limit switch, blower motor, worn belts on older blowers | Usually repairable; check the heat exchanger at every service |
| Wall furnace | Thermocouple, pilot, gas valve, blocked vent | Small, but a gas appliance; safety checks matter just as much |
| Converted gravity furnace | Burner and control problems, weak airflow to far rooms | Often due for replacement planning |
| Newer high-efficiency furnace | Pressure switch, inducer motor, blocked condensate drain, control board | Error codes on the board narrow the search |
| Heat pump or mini-split | Defrost, capacitor, sensor or refrigerant faults | Covered under heating repair in San Anselmo |
If you smell gas, leave the house before using any switch or phone, and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.
Furnace service for older furnaces
An older furnace can run safely for years if it is looked after. The yearly service is where problems are caught before they become a cold night: a cracked or rusted heat exchanger, loose or corroded vent pipe, a weak igniter, dirty burners, a clogged filter that makes the furnace overheat and trip its limit switch. The technician also checks for carbon monoxide. Every home with gas heat should have working CO alarms; test them when you change the clocks. Furnace repair in San Anselmo covers the repair side, and HVAC maintenance in San Anselmo the yearly visit.
When the furnace is beyond a sensible repair, furnace installation is quoted with the size worked out for the house, not copied from the old unit.
AC repair for valley afternoons
San Anselmo sits inland of the bay, and summer afternoons get noticeably hotter than in the towns closer to the water. An air conditioner that sat idle through the cool months often fails on the first hot day, usually because of a weak capacitor, a dirty outdoor coil packed with leaves, a clogged condensate drain or a slow refrigerant leak. Check the thermostat mode, the filter and the breakers first; if the outdoor unit hums without the fan turning, switch the system off and call. See AC repair in San Anselmo. Homes that never had central air can add cooling room by room with ductless mini-splits.
Hillside homes and tight crawlspaces
Many San Anselmo houses sit on steep lots, with the furnace and ducts in a low crawlspace and little level ground for an outdoor unit. That affects repairs and installations alike: ducts get crushed or disconnected where nobody can see them, and a new outdoor unit needs a stable spot with clearance for airflow and service. When you book, tell us where the equipment is and how to reach it, so the technician arrives with the right tools. Duct repair in San Anselmo handles the rooms that never warm up.
Where we work in San Anselmo
We cover all of 94960: Downtown San Anselmo and the streets off San Anselmo Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, Seminary and Sorich Ranch. A real person answers the phone 24/7, appointments run from 8 AM to 8 PM every day, and same-day service is usually possible when you call before noon. We also work in neighboring San Rafael and Larkspur.