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Palo Alto Furnace, AC and Heat Pump Specialists

The short answer

ExpertFlow HVAC Repair Service repairs and installs heating and cooling across Palo Alto, ZIPs 94301, 94303, 94304 and 94306, including AC, furnaces, heat pumps and ductless mini-splits, plus maintenance, duct cleaning and indoor air quality. We are about four miles southeast in Los Altos.

Palo Alto starts about four miles northwest of our Los Altos shop and spans four ZIP codes: 94301, 94303, 94304 and 94306. Its housing ranges from early twentieth-century homes with original floor or gravity furnaces, to the many mid-century Eichlers with radiant slab heat and glass walls, to substantial modern rebuilds with multiple zones. A single street can hold all three. That variety is exactly why we treat every Palo Alto visit as its own investigation rather than applying a stock fix.

Three kinds of Palo Alto houses, three different conversations

In older homes, we frequently find a floor furnace set into the hallway or a gravity furnace in the basement or crawlspace. These can keep running for a long time, but they need regular safety checks on burners, venting and gas valves, and parts can be hard to source. When the owner is ready, replacing one with a ducted heat pump or a set of ductless heads is a big step up in comfort and control.

Eichler and other mid-century modern homes often have radiant heating in the slab and little or no attic space for ducts. Cooling these houses usually means ductless mini-splits or carefully planned high-wall units, placed so they suit the clean lines of the architecture. Large expanses of glass add significant summer heat, which affects sizing.

Newer and extensively remodeled homes may have two or three systems, zoning dampers and smart thermostats. Here, the typical issues are controls that conflict, zones that never close fully, or a secondary system that was sized as an afterthought.

Palo Alto climate in practical terms

The valley's Mediterranean climate brings dry summers and mild, damp winters. Palo Alto's location near the Bay usually keeps summer temperatures below those of the hotter inland and southern valley towns, but warm spells still stress older AC equipment, and homes with big west-facing windows heat up fast. Winters are mild enough that heat pumps work well here throughout the season.

What we do in 94301, 94303, 94304 and 94306

Our full residential service list is available across the city.

  • AC repair for warm air, ice on lines, leaks and electrical faults
  • Heating and furnace repair, including floor and gravity furnaces
  • Heat pump installation to replace a furnace and air conditioner in one system
  • AC installation and furnace installation sized with a proper load calculation
  • Ductless mini-split installation for Eichlers, additions and ADUs
  • HVAC maintenance for single and multi-zone systems
  • Duct cleaning, sealing and indoor air quality improvements

Electrification, on your schedule

A lot of Palo Alto homeowners are interested in moving from gas to electric heat. There is no requirement to do it while your current furnace works: the Bay Area Air District rules apply only when an existing furnace or water heater fails or is replaced. Under Rule 9-4, natural gas furnaces manufactured from 2029 must meet a zero-NOx standard, which in practice points replacements after that date toward heat pumps.

Planning early gives you control. We review your electrical service, existing ducts or the lack of them, and outdoor unit locations, then outline a phased approach if that suits you. For water heaters, the Rule 9-6 zero-NOx date for small units was set for 2027, with possible amendments under consideration by the Air District Board in November 2026, so check the current status before planning. Incentive programs through BayREN and your local utility or clean energy provider change by funding cycle; we confirm what is offered before quoting. The federal 25C credit ended for heat pumps placed in service after December 31, 2025.

Nearby

Our Palo Alto work connects with routes through Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, East Palo Alto, Atherton and Portola Valley. If you share the age and type of your system when you contact us, the technician can plan for the right parts and tools before arriving.

ZIP codes we serve

  • 94301
  • 94303
  • 94304
  • 94306

Services in Palo Alto

Nearby areas

What to expect

How a visit goes

  1. Findings you can see

    Meter readings, photos of worn parts and a short written summary come with every diagnostic visit, so you are never asked to approve work on faith.

  2. Options, not ultimatums

    When a repair and a replacement are both reasonable, we lay out what each one involves and let you choose the timing that fits your home and budget.

  3. Straight talk on rules and incentives

    We follow Bay Area Air District appliance rules closely and confirm current BayREN or clean energy provider incentives before mentioning them in a quote.

FAQ

Common questions

Can you cool an Eichler without adding ducts?

Yes. Ductless mini-splits are the usual approach, with indoor heads placed to work with the open plan and large windows.

Do you still service floor furnaces?

Yes. We inspect and repair floor and gravity furnaces, with careful attention to venting and gas safety, and can discuss replacement options.

Is a heat pump enough for a Palo Alto winter?

For most homes, yes. Winters are mild, and a properly sized heat pump handles both heating and cooling.

Do I have to replace my gas furnace?

No. Working equipment can remain. The Air District rules apply when a furnace fails or is replaced.

Can you fix zoning problems in a multi-system home?

Yes. We test dampers, thermostats and control boards to find conflicts and get each zone working as intended.

What other areas do you serve near Palo Alto?

Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, East Palo Alto, Atherton and Portola Valley, plus Los Altos.

Tell Us What Your System Is Doing

Describe the noise, smell, error code or uneven room, and we will set up a visit to find the cause and walk you through your options.

Request Service Call (650) 668-0834
Call (650) 668-0834 Request Service