AC repair and HVAC service in Pasadena
Cooling, gas heat, heat pumps, mini splits and ductwork for Pasadena bungalows, ranch houses, condos and apartment buildings. We explain the cause without jargon and name the price before any work begins.
Air Cove HVAC Pasadena
Hot summers, cool nights and houses built a century ago
Pasadena's August afternoons average about 91 degrees, and the San Gabriel Mountains behind the city bring it more rain than Los Angeles gets. Winter nights settle in the mid 40s, so the heater earns its keep too, and a weak air conditioner shows itself fast once the heat arrives.
More than a quarter of the homes here went up in 1939 or earlier, and six in ten predate 1970. Bungalow Heaven alone holds about 800 small Craftsman houses. Add the 1951 tracts of Upper Hastings Ranch and the buildings of five or more units that hold 44 percent of the housing, and one visit can mean a floor furnace, a house with no ducts or a condo air handler. We look at yours before suggesting anything.
Air Cove HVAC Pasadena is on North Raymond Avenue. We cover every part of Pasadena, plus Altadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, Alhambra and Highland Park, and we pick up every day, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Heating, cooling and duct services
Areas we cover
Days a week, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Services
The full range of heating and cooling work, for Pasadena houses
Each card leads to a full service page with typical faults and what a visit covers.
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AC RepairBlowing warm, cycling on and off, or shutting down once August arrives.
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AC Installation & ReplacementSized to your rooms, filed with the Pasadena Permit Center and tested.
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AC Tune-Up & HVAC MaintenanceCoil cleaning and a full check in spring, before the long hot stretch.
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Furnace & Heater RepairGas furnaces plus the wall and floor heaters of older homes.
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Furnace Installation & ReplacementSwap a worn-out gas furnace for a new one, or go electric with a heat pump.
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Heat Pump Installation & RepairOne unit for hot summers and cold nights, with a PWP rebate worth checking.
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Ductless Mini SplitsA way to cool bungalows and apartments that were built without ducts.
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Air Duct CleaningVents cleared of dust, dander and the fine grit a remodel leaves.
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Duct Repair & SealingTorn, sagging or disconnected runs fixed so the leakage test passes.
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Dryer Vent CleaningLint cleared from the vent so the dryer runs cooler and faster.
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Swamp Cooler RepairNew pads, belts and pumps for evaporative coolers in the dry heat.
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Thermostat InstallationSmart or simple controls, wired correctly for whatever system the house runs.
What you are noticing
Which of these sounds like your house?
Pick the closest match. The service page behind it explains the likely causes.
Warm air on the hottest afternoon of the year
A system that copes in June can give out in August. A worn capacitor, a blocked coil or low refrigerant is often behind it, and each can be repaired.
A Craftsman bungalow that never had ducts
Mini splits cool room by room through a small hole in the wall, which leaves plaster, trim and built-ins alone.
The floor furnace clicks but will not light
Some older homes still heat with floor or wall furnaces. A pilot, a thermocouple or a valve usually stops them, and a single part is sometimes all it needs.
Thinking about moving off gas heat
About two in three Pasadena homes heat with gas. A heat pump does the work of both the furnace and the air conditioner from one system.
Replacing a system in Pasadena
The Pasadena route to a new system
Pasadena permits its own mechanical work and runs its own electric utility, so a changeout here follows Pasadena procedure from start to finish.
A mechanical permit from the city
The Pasadena Permit Center issues it, and a mechanical permit can come through the Express Permit Portal in minutes. Its application has separate lines for a furnace, a duct system, a wall or floor furnace and an evaporative cooler. We handle the filing.
Two tests in climate zone 9
The city falls in climate zone 9, which means two HERS checks once the new equipment is in: duct leakage and refrigerant charge. A third-party rater does both, and the results are registered with the permit.
Condensers in landmark districts
Pasadena's Design Review submittals ask where the HVAC condensers will sit. If a new outdoor unit would be visible in a district such as Bungalow Heaven, that spot may need a review, so we plan the location early.
Power from PWP
Electricity here comes from Pasadena Water and Power, not SCE. PWP runs its own heat pump rebate for its electric customers, so check the current terms with PWP before you buy.
Cost
What sets the price in Pasadena
The same tonnage can cost very different amounts from one Pasadena address to the next.
The age of the house
A 1920s bungalow may have no ducts and little room to add them, while a later house may already have ducts worth keeping.
Existing ducts
Sound ducts can be reused after sealing. Missing or badly leaking ducts mean new runs or a ductless layout.
Gas or electric
Keeping a gas furnace is one path. Going all-electric with a heat pump sometimes calls for added wiring or a bigger electrical panel.
The outdoor unit's spot
A location hidden from the street, a rooftop on an apartment building or a narrow side yard can change the unit and the line set.
The process
From your call to a working system
Tell us the problem
Phone or use the form with what is going wrong and where you live. Someone answers every day, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
A full look at the equipment
Outdoor unit, furnace or air handler, ductwork and controls, so the real fault is found.
A clear explanation and a price
You hear which part failed, the ways to fix it and the cost of each, agreed up front.
Work, testing and cleanup
The system runs through a full test before we pack up. Prefer a conversation before booking? Use the form to send us the details, and we will ring you to talk it through.
Service area
Pasadena, its neighbors and the wider Air Cove area
Every Pasadena neighborhood, the towns along its borders, and the remaining areas on the Air Cove HVAC map.
FAQ
Pasadena questions
Is a permit needed to replace an AC in Pasadena?
Yes. The City of Pasadena Permit Center issues a mechanical permit for a central AC or furnace replacement, and its Express Permit Portal can turn one around quickly. Portable units and self-contained systems holding 10 pounds of refrigerant or less are exempt. We apply for the permit, and the HERS tests follow the installation.
What is the most common AC problem?
Poor airflow is the usual culprit, from a filter packed with dust or a coil caked in dirt. Worn capacitors and slow refrigerant leaks come next. Each one leaves the compressor straining. A fresh filter is the one fix to try yourself. Past that, shut the unit down and get a technician, since handling refrigerant needs EPA certification.
What is the average cost for a new HVAC system?
There is no useful average for Pasadena, because the house decides the price. A bungalow without ducts, a 1950s house with ducts already in place and an upstairs condo unit are three different jobs, and PWP's heat pump rebate can shift the math. Your price comes after a visit, and Air Cove's cost breakdown for AC replacement goes through what drives the number.
Can a Craftsman house in Pasadena get central air?
Yes, though not always with ducts. Where the attic or the space under the floor has room for ducts, a central system can go in, and where it does not, ductless mini splits cool the rooms without opening up the walls. In a landmark district such as Bungalow Heaven, a new condenser spot that can be seen from the street may need design review, so we pick the location with that in mind.
Do you also work in Altadena, South Pasadena and Highland Park?
Yes, and in San Marino and Alhambra as well as all of Pasadena. The permit office changes at the city line. Altadena is unincorporated, so LA County Public Works issues its permits, Highland Park is part of Los Angeles and goes through LADBS, and South Pasadena, San Marino and Alhambra each run their own building departments.
Contact
Get your Pasadena home comfortable again
Let us know what the heating or cooling is up to. You get the fault found, the options explained and a settled price before a single panel comes off.
