No Heat or No Cooling? Urgent HVAC help in Palo Alto
Some problems can wait for a weekday appointment. A furnace with a gas smell, a frozen-up AC during a heat wave, or no heat with a newborn or elderly relative at home can’t. Here’s what to do first.
Call 650-460-3483438 Cambridge Ave, 94306
For urgent HVAC problems in Palo Alto, check safety first: if you smell gas or a CO alarm sounds, leave the home and call your gas utility. Otherwise, check the thermostat, breaker and filter, and switch off an AC that is iced or buzzing. Then call ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto at 650-460-3483 so we can prioritize households with health or safety risks.
Safety first
- Gas smell: don’t operate switches or the furnace. Leave the house and call your gas utility’s emergency line from outside. In Palo Alto that’s City of Palo Alto Utilities.
- CO alarm: get everyone outside, call 911, and don’t go back in until it’s cleared.
- Burning or electrical smell: turn the system off at the thermostat and the breaker.
- Water pouring from the indoor unit: turn the system off and protect the floor.
Quick checks before you call
- Thermostat set to the right mode, with fresh batteries if it uses them
- Breaker for the furnace or air handler and the outdoor unit
- Furnace power switch (it looks like a light switch near the unit)
- Filter: a badly clogged filter can shut down heating and freeze cooling
- Condensate overflow: many systems shut off when the drain backs up
When to call right away
- No heat with infants, elderly family members, or anyone with health conditions at home
- Indoor temperatures above 85°F during a heat wave
- Any gas, burning or electrical smell
- Repeated breaker trips
How we prioritize
When calls stack up during a cold snap or heat wave, we prioritize households with safety and health concerns. Tell us who is at home and what you’ve noticed. Call 650-460-3483.
Preventing the next emergency
Most urgent calls we see are failing capacitors, clogged drains, dirty flame sensors and filters that were forgotten. A seasonal tune-up catches nearly all of them.
Urgent HVAC Service, step by step
- Safety checkGas, CO, burning smell or water first.
- Quick checksThermostat, breaker, switch and filter.
- CallTell us who is home and what you notice.
- FixDiagnosis and repair, or a safe temporary plan.
Often paired with urgent hvac service
Urgent HVAC Service across Palo Alto and nearby
We’re based at 438 Cambridge Ave and work in every Palo Alto neighborhood. Local notes for each area:
New to us? Start with our overview of HVAC in Palo Alto.
Urgent HVAC Service questions,
answered.
Straight answers before you book.
What counts as an HVAC emergency?
Gas smells, CO alarms, electrical burning smells, and no heat or cooling when someone at home is medically vulnerable. Those come first.
What should I do if I smell gas near the furnace?
Don’t touch the furnace or light switches. Leave the home and call your gas utility’s emergency number from outside.
My AC is covered in ice. What do I do?
Turn it off at the thermostat and set the fan to ON to help it thaw. Check the filter. Then call us, because ice usually signals an airflow or refrigerant problem.
Do you offer after-hours service?
Call 650-460-3483 and we’ll tell you the soonest available time. Availability depends on call volume during heat waves and cold snaps.
How can I stay cool while I wait?
Close blinds on sun-facing windows, run ceiling fans, and spend the hottest hours in the coolest room. Palo Alto libraries and community centers are good cooling spots during heat events.
Let’s make home
feel better.
Tell us what’s happening with your heating or cooling, and we’ll start with the right questions.