Fireplace and HVAC questions, Santa BarbaraAsk us anything. Most of it is here.

Yes. Installation estimates are free, and our pricing is flat rate, so the number we quote is the number you pay. Repairs start with a diagnostic at a set rate, listed above.

Santa Barbara, Goleta, Hope Ranch, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, plus Santa Ynez, Solvang, Buellton and nearby Santa Barbara County communities. Each town has its own page under service areas.

We do. Goleta, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria permit work through their city building departments. Montecito, Summerland and Hope Ranch are permitted through the County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development.

A residential HVAC diagnostic is $220, commercial is $250 and a fireplace diagnostic is $220. After-hours diagnostics start at $308. Installation estimates are free.

Sometimes. Utility, state and local programs open and close through the year, so we check what's available when you call and tell you what your home may qualify for.

Usually. Ducts go above the ceiling or below the floor, air comes through slot diffusers, and the air handler goes in a closet, attic or basement. The outdoor unit is placed and screened with your landscape plan.

Yes. We inspect the firebox and chimney, then recommend a liner, an insert, a log set or a conversion depending on its condition and how you want to use it.

Yes. We work on homes and on commercial buildings. Call (805) 699-1112 and tell us about the space, and we will say what we can do.

We offer after-hours appointments when a technician is available. Call (805) 699-1112 and we'll tell you the soonest we can come. After-hours diagnostics start at $308. If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, leave the building and call 911 first.

Manufacturer warranties depend on the equipment and brand. Many qualifying systems include up to 10 years of parts coverage, subject to registration and the manufacturer's terms. Our workmanship warranty is one year on qualifying installations, and we help with manufacturer warranty claims on equipment we installed.

Many standard HVAC replacements take one to two working days. Larger installations, complete duct replacements and custom fireplace projects take longer. A chimney sweep is usually a single appointment.

Yes. Se habla español. Call (805) 699-1112. This site has a full Spanish version too.

Our home base is Santa Barbara. Most jobs are in the coastal towns we list and in Santa Ynez, Solvang and Buellton. Other locations depend on the project, so call and ask.

Yes. Gas fireplace diagnosis and repair is a large part of our service work. Call with the make and model if you have it.

It depends on the unit, the venting route, the gas line, the framing and the finish. Estimates are free and pricing is flat rate, so the number we quote is the number you pay. Our pricing page lists every line that goes into the number.

Sometimes. Heat rises above the unit, so the manufacturer's clearance and the finished wall have to allow it. Some units have heat management kits that move the heat elsewhere. We check the manual and plan the wall before framing.

Gas lines, venting and new appliances generally require a permit and inspection with the city or county where you live. Your proposal lists the permit and its cost.

Usually, by venting up through the roof. Each model has limits on vent length and the number of bends, so the route is checked against the manual first.

Often. We inspect the firebox and chimney first, then recommend a liner, gas logs, an insert or a repair depending on its condition and how you want to use it.

An insert, by a wide margin. It is sealed and often has a fan. A vented log set is mostly for the look, because the open flue carries most of the heat away.

If it has burned wood, yes, and it should be inspected. Leftover creosote in a flue is a fire risk and smells in warm weather.

Not with the log set in place. Gas logs and the burner aren't made for it. If you want both, tell us and we'll talk through the options.

Standard guidance, including NFPA 211, is to inspect a chimney at least once a year, and to sweep it when the inspection shows buildup.

It depends on how you use the room. Wood gives the sound and smell of a real fire and takes work. Gas lights at a switch and needs little care. Our guide walks through the trade offs.

Most often a cold flue, a damper that isn't fully open, wet wood, or exhaust fans pulling air down the chimney. If it happens every fire, the flue may be the wrong size or blocked, and it needs an inspection.

Dry, split hardwood such as oak. Never burn painted or treated wood, trash or driftwood. Driftwood carries salt that corrodes metal parts.

A new gas line generally does. Your proposal lists the permit and its cost.

Follow the burner manufacturer's clearances and your local fire rules. As a starting point, many people plan for about ten feet from structures and nothing overhead, then confirm against the manual.

Only if the burner's manual allows it and the overhead clearance is met. Many do not. An outdoor fireplace with a flue is often the better answer under cover.

Natural gas when the house has it: no tanks to fill. Propane works where there's no gas service, and needs a burner and enclosure made for it.

Most often the thermocouple is weak or the pilot flame is dirty and no longer wraps it, so the gas valve closes as a safety. Drafts, low gas pressure and a failing valve are less common causes. We test each one before replacing a part.

Our fireplace diagnostic is $220. The repair is then quoted flat rate before we start, and it depends on the part. Cleaning a pilot or replacing receiver batteries is at the low end. A valve or control module is more.

It depends on the unit's age, the part and whether parts are still made. Most pilot, switch and remote problems are worth fixing. A rusted firebox or a discontinued valve is where replacement starts to make sense. Our repair or replace guide walks through it.

Often, yes. A good share of our repair calls come after someone else has been out. Several of our Google reviews describe exactly that.

Once a year. Manufacturers call for an annual inspection by a qualified technician, and a yearly visit keeps the glass clear and catches a weak sensor before the cold night it fails.

Drop cloths, glass removed and cleaned, burner and pilot cleaned, firebox and compartment vacuumed, logs reset to the manual, vent and controls checked, and a gas leak and carbon monoxide test.

Gas burns much cleaner than wood, so there's usually little to sweep. The vent still needs to be checked for nests, corrosion and loose joints, and a gas log set in an old masonry fireplace should have the flue inspected.

It's a mineral deposit from combustion. Left for years it can etch the glass for good, which is one reason to clean it yearly.

Standard guidance, including NFPA 211, is to inspect a chimney at least once a year. Sweep it when the inspection shows buildup. The Chimney Safety Institute of America says to sweep at an eighth of an inch of soot, and sooner if there is any glazed creosote.

A Level 1 is a visual and safety check of the readily accessible parts. A Level 2 adds an HD camera scan of the flue, and is the usual choice when buying or selling a home or after a change to the system.

NFPA 211 calls for a Level 2 inspection when a property is sold or transferred, and many buyers and insurers ask for one. A general home inspector usually doesn't run a camera up the flue.

Rarely, because gas burns clean. It still needs a yearly check of the vent, cap and connections. See gas fireplace service.

Often it is. Winters are mild, and a heat pump heats and cools from one system. We look at your ducts and electrical panel before recommending it.

It depends on the size of the system, the state of the ducts, the electrical panel and access. We don't post a price list because it would set the wrong expectation. The estimate is free and the number is flat rate. See what goes into it.

Sometimes. Utility, state and local programs such as TECH Clean California and 3C-REN open and close through the year. We check what's available for your address when you call. See incentives.

Often, if they are the right size and don't leak much. We inspect them first, and California requires a leakage test on most replacements.

Often it makes sense on the coast, where winters are mild. We look at your ducts, your electrical panel and how you use the house before recommending one.

Many gas furnaces last 15 to 20 years. In our mild climate they run fewer hours than in cold places, so age alone isn't a reason to replace one.

Many standard replacements take one to two working days. Complete duct replacements take longer.

Yes, in general. A furnace or air conditioner replacement needs a permit, and most need a duct leakage test by an independent rater. Both are listed on your proposal.

A single zone system serves one room or open area. Multi zone systems run several indoor units from one outdoor unit. We size it room by room.

Yes. They collect dust, and a clean filter keeps the head moving air. Rinse them about once a month in a season of use.

Yes. Nearly all of the ones we install are heat pumps, and they heat efficiently in our mild winters.

Generally yes: it's new mechanical and electrical work. Your proposal lists the permit and its cost.

The state energy code requires duct leakage testing by an independent rater on most system replacements that involve ducts, because leaky ducts waste energy. The raters were long called HERS raters, and the 2025 Energy Code now calls them ECC raters. We schedule the test as part of the job.

Usually. Ducts go above the ceiling or below the floor, air comes through slot diffusers, and the air handler goes in a closet, attic or basement.

Uneven rooms, a dusty house and high bills are the clues. The only way to know how much is a duct leakage test, which gives a number.

Not always. Sound ducts get sealed and reused. We inspect them and tell you which you have.

The usual causes are a clogged filter, a dirty outdoor coil, a failed capacitor or low refrigerant from a leak. Check the filter first. If the copper line outside is iced, turn the system off and call.

A residential diagnostic is $220 and commercial is $250. The repair is quoted flat rate before we start. After-hours diagnostics start at $308.

Once a year is a common recommendation. Coils and filters near the coast collect dust and salt, and a tune up catches that early.

We offer after-hours appointments when a technician is available. Call (805) 699-1112 and we'll tell you the soonest we can come. After-hours diagnostics start at $308.

Start with the thermostat batteries, the breaker, the switch near the furnace and the filter. If those are fine, the usual causes are a failed igniter, a dirty flame sensor or a safety switch that has tripped.

Our residential diagnostic is $220 and commercial is $250. The repair is quoted flat rate before we start and depends on the part.

A dusty smell for the first hour of the season is normal. A gas smell is not: leave the house and call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200.

Usually, if the heat exchanger is sound and the part is available. We'll give you a realistic read, and a replacement number only if it makes sense.

The EPA recommends MERV 13 or higher for wildfire smoke, if your system can handle it. That last part matters, which is why we measure first.

Sometimes. A 1 inch MERV 13 filter in a system with a small return can cut airflow enough to cause problems. A deep 4 inch filter gives the same rating with far less resistance.

A 1 inch filter every one to three months. A 4 inch media filter often lasts six months to a year. After a smoke event, check it right away.

Yes, if you have a good filter. Set the thermostat fan to ON so the air keeps passing through the filter, and keep windows and doors closed.

Yes. We work on homes and on commercial buildings. Call (805) 699-1112 and tell us about the space, and we will say what we can do.

A commercial HVAC diagnostic is $250. After-hours diagnostics start at $308. The repair is quoted flat rate before we start.

At least twice a year for most buildings, with filters changed about every three months. Restaurants and dusty spaces need more.

Often, by arrangement. After-hours appointments depend on a technician being available.

We offer after-hours appointments when a technician is available. Call (805) 699-1112 and we'll tell you the soonest we can come. After-hours diagnostics start at $308. If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, leave the building and call 911 first.

We don't promise that. After-hours service depends on a technician being available. Call and you'll get a straight answer about tonight.

After-hours diagnostics start at $308. The repair is quoted flat rate before we start.

No heat or cooling with someone vulnerable at home, water coming from the system, a fireplace that won't shut off, or a burning smell. Gas smells and carbon monoxide alarms are 911 calls first.

At least once a year is the common recommendation, and sooner if clothes take longer to dry. Large households and long vent runs need it more often.

Clothes take more than one cycle, the dryer gets very hot, the laundry room feels humid, or the outside flap barely moves when the dryer runs.

Yes. Lint is flammable and the dryer makes heat. The U.S. Fire Administration reports about 2,900 home clothes dryer fires each year, with failure to clean as the leading cause.

No. The screen catches most lint, and the rest goes into the vent. Clean the screen every load, and the vent every year.