Commercial HVAC in San Rafael, Novato, San Anselmo, Larkspur and Sausalito is mostly light commercial work: rooftop packaged units over shops and offices, split systems in small professional suites, ductless units in server rooms and additions, and the mix of furnaces and air conditioners found in apartment and condo buildings. The common problems are the same everywhere - a rooftop unit that stopped cooling, zones that fight each other, a tenant who is always too warm - and the fix starts with a site evaluation, not a guess.
Where we work
- Offices and professional suites, including medical and dental offices where comfort and air quality matter to patients.
- Retail shops and restaurants, where a busy kitchen or a sunny storefront can overwhelm a system sized for less.
- Multi-unit residential buildings: apartments and condos, such as those in downtown San Rafael, often with one system per unit.
- Rental properties and home-based businesses, where the owner needs quick answers and clear paperwork.
- Waterfront businesses in Sausalito, where salt air shortens the life of rooftop and outdoor coils.
Common commercial problems
| Problem | What is usually behind it |
|---|---|
| Rooftop unit not cooling or heating | Failed capacitor or contactor, dirty coils, slipping belt, refrigerant leak, ignition fault on gas units |
| Multi-zone issues | Stuck zone dampers, thermostats fighting each other, a zone panel fault |
| Building comfort complaints | Poor air balance, a unit undersized for a changed use, thermostats placed in the wrong spot |
| High energy use | Economizer dampers stuck open, dirty coils, schedules that run the system all night |
| Code compliance questions | Ventilation, equipment safety controls and replacement paperwork |
| Equipment near the end of its life | Repeated failures, refrigerant no longer produced, rising repair costs |
Economizers deserve a mention. Many rooftop units have an outside-air damper that brings in cool air when the weather allows. When its motor or sensor fails, the damper can stick open and the unit heats or cools outdoor air all day. On Marin’s mild days that fault can go unnoticed for months, while the bills show it.
How we handle a commercial job
- Site evaluation. We walk the space, talk to whoever hears the complaints and note every unit, its age and how it is reached: roof hatch, ladder or walkway.
- System assessment. Each unit is tested: electrical parts, refrigerant charge, airflow, belts, filters, drains and, on gas units, combustion and safety controls.
- A service plan. You get a written list of findings, what is urgent, what can wait and an itemized price for each.
- Minimizing disruption. Work is scheduled around your hours. Noisy or messy steps happen before opening or after closing where possible, and we keep the work area tidy.
- Service or installation. Repairs use factory certified parts. Replacements are sized for how the space is used now, not how it was used when the old unit went in.
- Documentation and warranty. A written report for every visit and warranty registration for new equipment.
Planned maintenance
For businesses, a breakdown in the middle of a busy day costs more than the repair. A maintenance plan puts each unit on a regular schedule: filters, coil cleaning, belt and bearing checks, drain clearing, electrical testing and a seasonal check of heating and cooling. Plan members get priority scheduling when something does fail and discounts on repairs. With one report per visit, property managers can see the condition of every unit across a building.
Comfort and controls
Many comfort complaints in small commercial spaces come from controls rather than equipment. A thermostat on a sunny wall, a shared thermostat for two rooms with different uses, or staff changing settings all day can make a sound system look broken. Programmable or smart thermostats with locked ranges and sensible schedules often solve it; see thermostat installation. For server rooms and additions, a dedicated ductless system keeps them comfortable without upsetting the main system.
Our technicians are fully licensed, insured, background-checked and EPA-certified, and a real person answers the phone 24/7 for urgent failures; see emergency HVAC. Local pages: commercial HVAC in San Rafael and in Novato.