From the field · 11 posts
Notes from the trucks.
Plain-English HVAC writing for South Bay homeowners. Repair-or-replace math, brand recalls, seasonal alerts, and what I learn on jobs.
- Apr 26, 2026 What South Bay Homeowners Should Know About Recent HVAC Equipment Recalls Three HVAC equipment recalls active in early 2026 that affect South Bay homeowners. What to check, how to verify, and what to do if your system is affected.
- Apr 22, 2026 Heat Pump Math, May 2026: IRA Credits + SoCal Edison Rebates Stacking the federal $2,000 IRA tax credit with SoCal Edison rebates can knock $4,000+ off a typical Torrance heat pump install. Real numbers, current as of May 2026.
- Apr 12, 2026 Your Torrance Pre-Summer HVAC Tune-Up Checklist (Half DIY, Half When-to-Call) What you can do yourself in 20 minutes before summer hits, and the four things that should be left to a tech with a manifold gauge set.
- Apr 08, 2026 Repair or Replace? An Honest Decision Tree for Your South Bay AC A working framework for South Bay homeowners staring down a $2,400 repair on a 13-year-old central AC. When to repair, when to replace, and what the math actually looks like in 2026.
- Apr 01, 2026 Wildfire Smoke Season: The IAQ Upgrade I Install Most Often Before September California's wildfire season has become a permanent feature of South Bay summers. Here's the indoor-air-quality upgrade I install most often — and the upgrades I tell homeowners to skip.
- Mar 22, 2026 Why Your Hollywood Riviera Condenser Corrodes in Five Years (and What to Specify Instead) The hilltop neighborhoods of the South Bay — Hollywood Riviera, Manhattan Heights, the PV Peninsula — eat outdoor HVAC equipment alive. Here's why, and exactly what to ask your installer for.
- Mar 15, 2026 Mini-Split Sizing for ADUs: The #1 Mistake I See in Every Garage Conversion If you're adding an ADU or finishing a garage in the South Bay, the contractor-installed mini-split is probably the wrong size. Here's the math, the symptoms, and what to ask for.
- Mar 04, 2026 5 Questions to Ask Before You Sign an AC Install Contract An installation goes wrong before the first wrench turns, in the contract. Here are the five questions that separate honest installers from companies you'll be fighting with for the next 10 years.
- Feb 28, 2026 Carrier vs Trane: An Owner's Take After 22 Years on the Trucks Carrier and Trane are the two brands every South Bay homeowner should put on their short list. Here's how I think about them after 22 years of installing and servicing both.
- Feb 12, 2026 Why Your Torrance Furnace Fails in February (and the Fix is October) South Bay furnaces sit idle nine months of the year and then get asked to perform on the first 40°F night. The failure pattern is completely predictable — and completely preventable.
- Jan 25, 2026 The Capacitor Swap: $20 Part, $400 Quote — What's Actually Going On If your AC won't kick on and you got a $400 quote for a capacitor replacement, you got an honest quote OR an inflated quote — here's how to tell the difference.