24-HOUR ANSWERING SERVICE
NO OVERTIME CHARGES - EVER
LICENSE #401802
SERVING SACRAMENTO SINCE 1981
24/7 Emergency Service Available

Heat Pump Repair & Installation

Heating and cooling from one system. More efficient—but more particular when something's off. We've been working on these since before they were popular.

Repairs & New Installations
No Overtime Charges—Period
Flat-Rate Pricing Before We Touch Anything
Licensed Since '81 (#401802)

Heat Pump Acting Weird?

Heat pumps are efficient as hell when they're working right. When they're not, you get a house that won't cool, a heating bill through the roof, and a lot of techs scratching their heads.

Read More

Here's the deal with heat pumps—they're not air conditioners with a fancy name. They run year-round, reverse the refrigerant flow to switch between heating and cooling, and have parts most techs only touch a couple times a year. That's a problem when yours breaks.

What we see all the time:

**Summer:** System freezes up, blows lukewarm air, or short-cycles every five minutes. Half the guys out there just dump refrigerant in and hope. We actually check the reversing valve, metering device, and airflow before we touch anything.

**Winter:** Outdoor unit stuck in defrost mode. Aux heat running nonstop—watch that electric bill. System can't keep up below 40 degrees. Nine times out of ten, it's a defrost control, low charge, or the unit was undersized from day one.

**Year-round:** Grinding noise from the outdoor unit. Compressor that sounds like it's working way too hard. Thermostat says one thing, your house says another.

We've been fixing these since the '80s, back when heat pumps were rare in Sacramento. Now half the new builds have them. We know what fails, why it fails, and how to fix it without guessing.

Spot the Warning Signs

Click the signs you're experiencing

Blowing Warm Air in Summer
Electric Bill Spiked in Winter
Outdoor Unit Constantly Running
Ice on the Coils (Either Season)

Select the warning signs you're experiencing

Call To Confirm The Warning Signs

Our 4-Step Solution Process

Transparent, effective, guaranteed results

1

Real Diagnosis

We test the whole system—not just the obvious symptom. Heat pumps hide problems.

Learn More

Heat pumps are tricky. A system blowing warm air could be a bad reversing valve, low refrigerant, a stuck contactor, or a thermostat wired wrong. We don't guess.

Our techs show up with the right meters and gauges:
- Refrigerant pressures on both high and low side
- Superheat and subcooling readings
- Reversing valve operation check
- Defrost board and sensor testing
- Airflow across indoor coil
- Amp draw on compressor and fan motors

Takes longer than a "quick look," but it finds the actual problem. You'll know exactly what's wrong before we talk about fixing anything.

2

Options, Not Pressure

We show you what we found, give you three ways to handle it, and let you decide.

Learn More

After diagnosis, you get three options on a tablet:

**Get it running:** Minimum repair to restore function. If you're selling the house or need to buy time, this makes sense.

**Fix it right:** Address the root cause plus anything else that's about to go. This is what we'd do on our own system.

**Go long-term:** Comprehensive repair or replacement conversation if the numbers don't make sense anymore.

Flat-rate pricing on each option. You see the total before we start. No hourly billing, no "well, once we got in there..." surprises.

Old system on R-22 refrigerant? We'll be straight with you—recharging those is getting stupid expensive. Sometimes the repair costs more than it's worth.

3

Same-Day When Possible

Common parts are on the truck. Most repairs done in one visit.

Learn More

Our trucks carry the parts that actually fail: capacitors, contactors, fan motors, defrost boards, thermostats. Standard repairs get done the same day.

For bigger stuff—compressors, reversing valves, coils—we get parts from our local supplier, usually next day. We're not waiting a week for something to ship from across the country.

If your system's down and it's going to take a day or two for parts, we'll tell you upfront and talk about temporary options if you need them.

4

Test and Verify

We run it through both modes and make sure it's actually fixed before we leave.

Learn More

Heat pumps have two jobs. We test both.

After the repair, we cycle the system through cooling mode, then heating mode. Check the reversing valve switches properly. Verify refrigerant pressures in both directions. Make sure defrost initiates and terminates correctly.

Then we check the thermostat—make sure it's communicating right and the emergency heat lockout works like it should.

You get an invoice showing exactly what we did, what parts went in, and what's covered under warranty. We clean up our mess and get out of your way.

If something's not right, we want to know about it while we're still there—not when you call us back in a week.

Why Choose JR Putman Plumbing, Heating and Air

No Overtime. Ever.

Saturday night, Sunday morning, Christmas Day—same rate. Your emergency isn't our payday.

Actual Heat Pump Experience

Not techs who "also do heat pumps." Techs who've worked on them for decades.

Flat Rates, No Surprises

You know the price before we start. Period.

We Show Up

Appointment windows we actually hit. Techs who call when they're on the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do heat pumps last?
15-20 years with proper maintenance. They run year-round, so they take more wear than an AC that sits idle half the year. Coastal or high-humidity areas can shorten that. We'll tell you where yours stands.
Is it worth repairing an old heat pump?
Depends on the repair. Capacitor or fan motor on a 10-year-old system? Fix it. Compressor on a 15-year-old R-22 unit? Probably not—the refrigerant alone will cost you. We'll give you real numbers either way so you can decide.
What's the difference between a heat pump and a regular AC?
An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump does both—it reverses the refrigerant cycle in winter to pull heat from outside air and move it inside. More efficient than a furnace for mild winters, but they have more components and need techs who understand how the reversing cycle works.
Why is my heat pump blowing cold air in heating mode?
Could be a stuck reversing valve, low refrigerant, a bad defrost board, or the system defaulting to emergency heat with a failed compressor. We see all of these. Proper diagnosis takes checking pressures, valve operation, and control board signals—not just looking at the thermostat.

Heat Pump Trouble? Let's Figure It Out.

Same-day service available. No overtime charges, no matter when you call.