Commercial Heating Service in Los Angeles
Furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, rooftop units, and unit heaters. Installation, repair, and maintenance for offices, restaurants, warehouses, and retail spaces across Greater Los Angeles.
People assume heating doesn't matter in Los Angeles. Those people have never stood inside a 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Chatsworth at 6 AM on a January morning when it's 38 degrees outside and the rooftop unit died overnight. They've never managed a restaurant in Sherman Oaks where the dining room dropped to 58 degrees on a Friday night and half the tables walked out before appetizers. LA gets cold. Not Minnesota cold — but cold enough that a dead furnace or a failed boiler turns your business into a place nobody wants to be.
Arctic Cool Refrigeration has been keeping commercial buildings warm across Greater Los Angeles since 1984. We work on everything from a single gas-fired unit heater hanging in an auto shop to multi-zone rooftop package units serving a 50,000-square-foot office building. Our technicians carry ignitors, flame sensors, gas valves, thermocouples, and control boards on every truck because heating failures happen when you need heat — not when it's convenient to schedule a service call. We dispatch from Calabasas and cover the entire LA basin, seven days a week.
Common Commercial Heating Problems
Heating equipment fails differently than cooling equipment. The parts are different, the failure modes are different, and the urgency is real — especially when you've got employees refusing to work or customers leaving. Here's what we see most often.
No Heat Output
The thermostat says "heat on" but nothing comes out. Usually a failed gas valve, cracked hot surface ignitor, bad pilot assembly, or a thermocouple that's drifted out of spec. On Carrier and Trane furnaces, ignitor failure is the single most common service call we run.
Furnace Short-Cycling
Furnace fires up, runs for 2-3 minutes, shuts off, then tries again. Classic causes: clogged filter restricting airflow (the $8 fix nobody does), a dirty flame sensor that can't prove the burner is lit, or a high-limit switch tripping because the heat exchanger is overheating. Lennox and Goodman units are notorious for flame sensor buildup.
Uneven Heating
One zone is 74 degrees, another is 61. The furnace is fine — the problem is in the ductwork. Stuck zone dampers, disconnected flex duct in the plenum, or a thermostat mounted on an exterior wall getting false readings. We trace the entire air path, not just check the unit.
Boiler Problems
Pressure dropping below 12 PSI, circulator pump seizing, expansion tank waterlogged, or zone valves stuck closed. Commercial boilers — especially older Weil-McLain and Burnham units — need annual maintenance or they'll strand you mid-winter with no hydronic heat and a $3,000+ repair.
Heat Pump Not Heating
Heat pumps reverse the refrigeration cycle to produce heat, and when the reversing valve sticks or the defrost cycle fails, you get nothing but cold air. Low refrigerant charge kills heating output before it kills cooling. We check charge, reversing valve operation, and defrost board logic on every heat pump call.
Rooftop Unit Heating Failure
RTUs with gas heat sections fail at the gas valve, burner assembly, or heat exchanger. A cracked heat exchanger is a carbon monoxide risk — we inspect with a combustion analyzer, not just a visual check. York and Carrier RTUs over 10 years old need heat exchanger inspection annually, period.
Heating Systems We Service
We don't specialize in one type of heating and refer out the rest. If it produces heat in a commercial building, we work on it.
Gas Furnaces
Commercial forced-air gas furnaces from 60,000 to 400,000+ BTU. Single-stage, two-stage, and modulating burners. We work on Carrier 58STA and 48SS series, Trane XR and S9 series, Lennox SLP98 and Merit series, Rheem Classic Plus, and Goodman GMVC/GMVM units. High-efficiency condensing furnaces require specific venting — PVC, not B-vent — and we've seen plenty of installations where the wrong vent material was used. We fix those too.
Commercial Boilers
Hydronic hot water boilers, steam boilers, and high-efficiency condensing boilers. Brands include Weil-McLain, Burnham, Lochinvar, Laars, Raypak, and NTI. Boiler work includes circulator pump replacement, expansion tank service, pressure relief valve testing, aquastat calibration, and full combustion analysis. We handle boilers serving radiant floor systems, baseboard radiators, fan coil units, and air handlers with hot water coils.
Heat Pumps
Air-source heat pumps and packaged heat pump units from Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Daikin, Rheem, and York. Heat pump heating repair involves reversing valve diagnosis, defrost cycle troubleshooting, auxiliary heat strip testing, and refrigerant charge verification. In LA's mild climate, heat pumps are efficient — but when the reversing valve fails in January, you need someone who understands refrigeration and heating, not just one or the other.
Rooftop Package Units with Gas Heat
The workhorse of commercial HVAC in Los Angeles. RTUs from Carrier, Trane, Lennox, York, Daikin, and Bard sit on every strip mall, office building, and restaurant roof in the city. Gas heat sections include the gas valve, burner assembly, heat exchanger, ignition system, and induced draft motor. We service units from 2 tons to 25+ tons, single-zone and multi-zone configurations.
Unit Heaters
Suspended gas-fired unit heaters for warehouses, auto shops, loading docks, and workshops. Brands include Reznor, Modine, Lennox, and Sterling. These are simple units — gas valve, burner, heat exchanger, fan — but they take abuse from dust, debris, and vibration. A warehouse unit heater that hasn't been serviced in 3 years is a fire risk and a carbon monoxide risk. We clean, inspect, and certify them.
Radiant and Infrared Heaters
Tube heaters and radiant panels for high-ceiling spaces where forced air is impractical. Brands include Roberts-Gordon, Detroit Radiant, Space-Ray, and Schwank. Infrared heaters work by radiating heat directly to objects and people — not heating air — so they're ideal for warehouses with 30-foot ceilings and open loading dock doors. We install, repair, and maintain gas-fired infrared tube heaters and high-intensity radiant panels.
Brands We Service
Our technicians are factory-trained across every major commercial heating manufacturer. We carry parts for the brands that dominate the Los Angeles market and can source specialty components within 24 hours for less common equipment.
- Carrier — the most-installed commercial heating brand in LA. Furnaces, RTUs, and heat pumps
- Trane — commercial RTUs and furnaces in offices, schools, and large retail. XR and Voyager series
- Lennox — widespread in restaurants and retail. Merit and Elite series furnaces, Strategos RTUs
- Rheem — commercial furnaces and package units. Common in mid-size office buildings and churches
- Goodman — budget-tier commercial furnaces and heat pumps. High failure rate after year 8 — we know these units inside out
- York — commercial RTUs and split systems. Sunline and Predator series in strip malls and warehouses
- Daikin — heat pumps and VRV systems. Growing fast in LA commercial new construction
- American Standard — same parent as Trane, different product line. Silver and Gold series furnaces and RTUs
- Bard — wall-mount and rooftop units common in portable classrooms, modular buildings, and small retail
- Reznor — the standard for suspended unit heaters in warehouses, shops, and industrial buildings
- Modine — unit heaters and duct furnaces for commercial and industrial applications
Industries We Serve
Different buildings have different heating demands. A restaurant with an open kitchen and a constantly-opening front door is a different problem than a sealed office building with interior zones that overheat while perimeter zones freeze. We've worked in all of them.
- Offices and corporate buildings — multi-zone RTUs, VAV systems, boiler-fed fan coils. Tenant comfort complaints are the #1 call we get from property managers
- Restaurants and food service — kitchen hoods exhaust massive amounts of heated air. Makeup air units and dining room heating need to be balanced or the front of house is freezing while the kitchen is 95 degrees
- Warehouses and distribution centers — unit heaters, infrared tube heaters, and dock door air curtains. Heating a warehouse with 20-foot ceilings and rolling doors is a specific engineering problem
- Retail stores — rooftop units with gas heat. Constant door traffic means constant heat loss. Proper thermostat placement and vestibule heating matter here
- Auto shops and service centers — overhead unit heaters that can handle dust, exhaust fumes, and chemical exposure. We install and service explosion-proof options where required
- Churches and worship spaces — large open volumes with intermittent occupancy. These buildings go from empty to 500 people in 20 minutes, then back to empty. The heating system needs to respond fast without overshooting
- Schools and educational facilities — boilers, RTUs, and classroom unit ventilators. Heating has to work reliably from 7 AM to 6 PM, and maintenance budgets are tight. We offer service contracts that make the math work
Service Areas in Greater Los Angeles
Arctic Cool Refrigeration dispatches from Calabasas and covers the full Greater Los Angeles area. We own the western corridor from Calabasas to Malibu better than any competitor, and extend east through the Valley, Hollywood, and Pasadena.
- Calabasas — home base. We're on-site within 1-2 hours for Calabasas commercial heating calls
- Thousand Oaks — office parks, restaurants, and retail along the 101
- Agoura Hills — commercial kitchens and office buildings off the 101 corridor
- Westlake Village — corporate offices, hotels, and upscale dining
- Woodland Hills — one of the densest commercial corridors in the west Valley. Warner Center offices and Ventura Blvd retail
- West Hills & Chatsworth — industrial parks and warehouse heating. Some of the coldest early-morning temperatures in the Valley
- Northridge — CSUN campus area, restaurants, and commercial retail
- Sherman Oaks & Encino — Ventura Blvd restaurant row. High-volume dining where customer comfort directly impacts revenue
- Tarzana — medical offices, retail, and food service
- Malibu — coastal buildings where salt air corrodes heat exchangers and gas valves faster than inland. We know what to look for
- Beverly Hills — luxury retail and fine dining. Equipment downtime is not an option when rent is $15/sqft/month
- Santa Monica — beachfront restaurants, hotels, and mixed-use commercial
- Burbank — studio facilities, production offices, and a dense restaurant and retail corridor
- Glendale — Galleria-area retail and Brand Blvd office buildings
- Pasadena — Old Town restaurants, Caltech and JPL campus-adjacent facilities, and healthcare buildings along the 210
Commercial Heating FAQ
How much does commercial heating repair cost in Los Angeles?
It depends on the system and the failure. An ignitor replacement on a Carrier or Trane furnace runs $200-$450 — it's the most common repair we do, and we carry ignitors on every truck. Blower motor replacement is $350-$700. A gas valve swap runs $400-$800. The big one is heat exchanger replacement: $800-$2,000+ depending on unit size and whether it's a standard or condensing furnace. Boiler repairs (circulator pumps, expansion tanks, zone valves) range from $300-$1,200. We provide a written estimate before any work starts — no surprises on the bill.
Do you offer emergency commercial heating repair?
Yes — same-day dispatch, 7 days a week. A heating failure in a commercial building means employees who can't work, customers who won't stay, and in the worst case, pipes that freeze and burst. Call (800) 685-5590 and a live person answers. We route the nearest available technician to your location, typically same day. No answering machines, no callback queues.
How often should commercial heating systems be maintained?
At minimum, once per year before heating season starts — ideally September or October in Los Angeles. High-use buildings (restaurants, warehouses with unit heaters running 10+ hours daily) benefit from twice-annual service. A maintenance visit includes burner cleaning, heat exchanger inspection for cracks, filter replacement, thermostat calibration, gas pressure verification, flue inspection, and safety control testing. Annual maintenance catches $200 problems before they become $2,000 emergencies.
Can you install a new commercial heating system?
Yes. We handle complete commercial heating installation: load calculation (Manual N for commercial), equipment selection and sizing, ductwork design or modification, gas line sizing and piping, electrical hookup, controls and thermostat programming, and permit coordination with LA-area jurisdictions. We install furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, RTUs, unit heaters, and radiant heating systems. For replacement jobs, we can often swap a unit in 1-2 days. New construction or major retrofits run 3-7 days depending on scope.
What's the difference between repairing and replacing a commercial furnace?
Rule of thumb: if the furnace is under 12 years old and the repair is under $1,500, repair it. If it's over 15 years old and needs a heat exchanger or compressor, replace it — you'll spend more patching an old unit than investing in a new one that runs 20-30% more efficiently. A new 80,000 BTU commercial furnace installed runs $3,500-$6,000 depending on brand and complexity. We'll give you an honest assessment. We make money either way — there's no incentive for us to push replacement when a $350 repair will give you another 5 years.
Related Services
No Heat? Call Now.
Same-day commercial heating repair across Greater Los Angeles — NATE-certified technicians, parts on every truck, 7 days a week.
Call (800) 685-5590