Prepare the furnace before the first cold snap

Filter, vents, thermostat batteries, carbon monoxide alarms.

If the CO alarm is expired, replace that before you argue about a flame sensor. Safety first, then comfort.

East Bay cooling seasons are long. A dirty condenser or clogged drain in July is usually last spring’s skipped tune-up.

This is a seasonal East Bay issue. San Ramon sees it on a different calendar than the coast.

Otter Basic is $250/unit; Otter-Pro is $350/unit. We inspect coils, electrical, drains, filters, and safety controls — and tell you what can wait.

We map prepare furnace for winter to the actual failed part or design limit. Age of the system is a data point, not the diagnosis.

You approve any repair after the findings are written down. Diagnostic visits are a flat $69. New installation estimates are free in-home with a load calculation — not a number invented from square footage on Zillow.

A “cleaning” that is really a duct-cleaning add-on should be justified by actual debris, not a script.

A company that skips testing on prepare furnace for winter will skip it on the next call too. We would rather lose a job than install the wrong thing.

Related service page on this site: maintenance. The article you are reading is the explanation; that page is how to book the work.

OTTER HVAC is based at 2939 Santos Ln, Walnut Creek. San Ramon, Pleasanton, and San Ramon are regular routes, along with the rest of our listed East Bay cities. Hours are 7am–5pm, seven days a week. We do not advertise 24/7 because we do not staff a night shift.

Inland heat (Pleasanton, Livermore, Concord) and marine air (Alameda, Daly City) are different loads. A note written for San Ramon is not automatically right for a fog-belt house. We treat them that way.

Category on this guide: Maintenance. Primary search phrase: prepare furnace for winter.

Call (650) 900-0440 or book online. Tell us the city, the symptom in one sentence, and the brand if you know it. If we have a window today, we will say so. If we do not, we will say that too.

Technicians are EPA 608, OSHA, and NATE certified. Public reviews average 5.0 stars across roughly 146 Google and 151 Yelp reviews. That does not replace a test on your unit.

Related service: HVAC Maintenance. Book a $69 diagnostic or a free install estimate. Hours: 7:00am–5:00pm, seven days a week. Shop: 2939 Santos Ln, Walnut Creek, CA 94597.

Related: All HVAC guides · HVAC Maintenance · Pricing and $69 diagnostic · Contact OTTER HVAC

Call (650) 900-0440 · Book online · View pricing · HVAC FAQ