Seasonal tune-up and full diagnostic on your Carrier, Trane, or Goodman system - readings shown to you before any repair is proposed
Diagnosis first, numbers second - you approve the repair price before a single part goes in.
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AfterHVAC Company in Los Altos, CA
Dalton Heating & Air handles HVAC work across Los Altos, CA with written pricing before any job starts and a full-year written guarantee on every repair. Los Altos homes run the gamut from 1950s ranchers in the flats to newer, larger builds in the hills, and the difference between those two housing stocks changes how we approach almost every call. If your system is down, call (361) 306-9515 and a live person answers, day or night.
Why Los Altos Homes Are Different
Los Altos sits on the Santa Clara Valley floor and climbs into the foothills west of Foothill Expressway, which means we work on two very different sets of homes. The older neighborhoods around downtown, near Los Altos High and along the tree-lined streets off San Antonio Road, hold mid-century homes with original ductwork that was sized for a different era. The hillside properties above Los Altos Hills Road and the newer construction near the Los Altos Golf and Country Club run larger square footage, often with multiple zones and more demanding load requirements. That terrain matters too: crews drive narrower, winding roads in parts of North Los Altos, and equipment access is sometimes tighter than a homeowner expects. The microclimate is milder than San Jose but warmer than the coastal stretch along Highway 1, so sizing matters. An oversized unit in Los Altos short-cycles, which kills compressors early. Local permitting is straightforward for like-for-like replacements, but any new heat pump installation that moves or adds a condenser pad can trigger a setback or noise review depending on the zoning. Our crews work with the planning desk on that, not around it.
Our Main Los Altos Services
Three jobs fill most of our Los Altos schedule: AC repair when a system fails, heat pump installation when a homeowner wants to stop heating with gas, and furnace repair when the winter shoulder season hits. Each has its own page below with the full cost range and what to expect.
AC Repair in Los Altos
Most AC repair calls in Los Altos come from systems that have sat dormant through the mild winter and get switched on for the first warm stretch in May or June. The common failures are the same ones we see across the South Bay: failed capacitors, leaking evaporator coils, and low refrigerant after years of slow seep. On hillside properties we also see line-set issues where copper has been exposed to the elements and corroded faster than expected. AC Repair in Los Altos covers the full price range, the repair process, and how we diagnose these systems in Los Altos specifically.
Heat Pump Installation in Los Altos
Los Altos homeowners are moving to heat pumps at a steady clip, mostly because the math on gas replacement stopped making sense for a lot of homes here. A heat pump handles both heating and cooling, and when properly sized it handles the mild Los Altos winter without any backup strip heat kicking on. The tricky part in Los Altos is finding the right spot for the outdoor unit, especially on older lots where the side yard is narrow or the patio overheats. Heat Pump Installation in Los Altos walks through sizing, placement, and what a full install costs.
Furnace Repair in Los Altos
Furnace failures in Los Altos tend to cluster in the older homes near the downtown corridor, where units from the 1980s and 1990s are still limping along. The usual culprits are ignitors, flame sensors, and inducer motors, plus the occasional cracked heat exchanger on a system that has never been properly maintained. Gas furnaces produce carbon monoxide as part of normal operation, and a cracked heat exchanger can allow that gas into the living space, so if you smell anything odd or your CO detector goes off, shut the system down and call us. Furnace Repair in Los Altos explains the repair process, what we check on every call, and what typical repairs cost.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Brands We Service in Los Altos
Our field crews are factory-trained on nine major HVAC brands and we keep local parts inventory stocked for the ones Los Altos homes actually have: Rheem and Goodman in the older stock, Daikin where homeowners have gone with a newer heat pump, and York in a subset of the mid-2000s builds. Our brands page has the full list and our training process.
Pricing for HVAC Company in Los Altos, CA
Here are the numbers we quote most often in Los Altos. All prices are written down and agreed to before any work begins, no exceptions.
| Service | Typical range in Los Altos |
|---|---|
| AC repair | $150 – $650 |
| Furnace repair | $150 – $700 |
| Tune-up | $80 – $200 |
| AC installation | $3,500 – $7,500 |
What pushes an AC repair toward the top of that range in Los Altos is usually a failed compressor or an evaporator coil replacement, both of which involve more refrigerant and more labor than a capacitor or contactor swap. Older Los Altos homes with tight mechanical closets can also add time to a furnace repair because access is restricted. However it lands, the price you see before we start is the price you pay when we finish.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Los Altos
We work throughout Los Altos and the immediately surrounding streets, from the flatlands near Highway 82 up into the hills.
- North Los Altos
- South Los Altos
- The Country Club area
- Central Los Altos near downtown
- Loyola Corners
Most Los Altos calls get same-day service for repairs, and we always arrive at the time we scheduled, not inside a seven-hour window.
Service Area – Cities Near Los Altos
Dalton Heating & Air serves Los Altos and the surrounding communities across the South Bay Peninsula. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from the brand’s San Francisco Bay Area office, and we run local crews through Mountain View, CA, Stanford, CA, Palo Alto, CA, and Portola Valley, CA on a regular schedule.
Serving Los Altos, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About HVAC Company in Los Altos
Same day in most cases. Los Altos is a regular dispatch area for us and we cover the full city from the flats to the hills. Call (361) 306-9515 and a live person takes the call 24/7, no voicemail queue.
Yes, for full replacements and new heat pump installations. The City of Los Altos requires a mechanical permit, and if the outdoor unit is being relocated or added, there may also be a setback or noise review. Our team handles the permit paperwork and inspections. For repair-only work, no permit is needed.
Some are, especially in the newer hillside developments where outdoor unit placement is visible from the street. We have worked with Los Altos HOAs on heat pump placement and noise compliance, and we will coordinate with your HOA’s architectural committee if needed.
A diagnostic service call typically falls in the $80 – $200 range, and that diagnostic fee is credited toward the cost of any repair you approve. The written estimate we give before starting the repair shows exactly what you are paying for. Call (361) 306-9515 for today’s rate.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local hvac pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Los Altos Customers Say
"Changed the filter size and added a better filter rack. Simple and useful advice."
- Rhonda C."Honest, direct people. Told me what the furnace needed and nothing more, and the bill matched."
- Eliza S."Coil cleaning and a refrigerant check before summer. AC has never been this cold."
- Marty D.