Heating Services in Murrieta, San Diego, Winchester, CA and the Surrounding Areas

Liberty Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning, a Veteran-Owned company with more than 25 years of Southern California experience, provides heating installation, repair, and maintenance for homeowners in Murrieta, Winchester, San Diego, and the surrounding communities. We hold California Contractor License #761640, carry full general liability and workers’ compensation insurance, and maintain a BBB A+ Rating backed by a 4.9-star average across 496 verified Google reviews. Our NATE Certified, Master Licensed technicians are verifiable at cslb.ca.gov, and customers confirm our work on Yelp and through our Angi Approved Pro status. We service gas furnaces, heat pumps, and ductless systems with 24/7 emergency response, and our 3-Year Exclusive Performance Guarantee backs every HVAC repair we complete. Call (951) 760-4215 to schedule heating service today.

What Heating Service Includes, and Why It Matters in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego

Heating service covers everything that keeps a furnace, heater, heat pump, or ductless system installed correctly, running safely, and delivering even warmth. That means choosing and installing the right equipment, repairing faults when they appear, and maintaining parts before they fail. Each service protects three things: your comfort on the coldest nights, your safety (combustion, venting, and electrical connections), and your energy use over the life of the system.

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Southern California heating works differently than heating in colder regions. Winters in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego stay mild, with the coldest nights arriving in December and January, so a heating system here runs for a short season. The long cooling season in between matters just as much. Your air conditioner and furnace share a blower, a filter, and ductwork, so months of summer operation wear on the same parts your heating system needs in winter. A system that sits idle for most of the year also tends to fail on its first cold night, when a cracked ignitor, a dirty flame sensor, or a dead thermostat battery finally shows up. Our air conditioning services keep the other half of that shared system in shape.

Local housing adds a third factor. Builders completed about 70 percent of Murrieta’s homes between 1990 and 2009, according to SCAG’s Murrieta housing profile, which uses American Community Survey data. The original furnaces and heat pumps in those homes are now 17 to 36 years old. That puts a large share of local equipment at or past the age where repairs become frequent and replacement becomes a real question. Our technicians know these homes, including the attic and garage equipment locations that come with them.

Expert Tips

During the colder months, it's important to keep your heating system running efficiently to ensure a cozy and comfortable home. One pro-tip is to regularly clean or replace your air filters. Clogged filters restrict airflow, making your system work harder and potentially leading to higher energy bills. Additionally, scheduling annual maintenance with a professional heating service in Murrieta, CA can help identify and address any potential issues before they become major problems. Remember, a well-maintained heating system not only keeps you warm but also saves you money in the long run.

- Jerry D. Howes

Our Heating Services in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego

Liberty Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning covers the full life of a heating system, from the first installation to the repairs and maintenance that follow. Each service below has its own page with the details, process, and FAQs.

Heating Installation

A correctly installed system starts with a load calculation, not a guess based on square footage. Our technicians size the system to your home’s insulation, windows, ceiling height, and ductwork. Then they install furnaces, heat pumps, ductless systems, and packaged units with gas, electrical, and venting tests, permit handling, and thermostat setup. Our heating system installation explains each step of the process.

Heating Repair

No-heat calls, short cycling, cool air from the vents, noisy blowers, and failed ignitors each have a specific cause. We diagnose the problem in sequence, explain what failed, give you a written quote before work begins, and back every HVAC repair with our 3-Year Exclusive Performance Guarantee. Our furnace and heater repair service answers the phone around the clock for emergencies.

Heating Maintenance

Annual maintenance catches the cracked ignitors, oxidized flame sensors, weak capacitors, and clogged filters that cause first-cold-night failures. A visit includes cleaning and inspecting the burners, testing the safety switches and airflow, checking the venting, and confirming safe combustion. See what each visit covers on our heating maintenance page.

Heat Pump Repair

Heat pumps heat and cool from one outdoor unit, so they fail in ways furnaces do not: stuck reversing valves, defrost control faults, worn capacitors and contactors, refrigerant leaks, and thermostat configuration errors. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that the reversing valve also defrosts the outdoor coil in winter. During that short defrost, the air from the vents can feel cooler, which is normal. Our NATE Certified technicians repair every major brand. Learn more on our heat pump repair page.

Furnaces

A furnace heats air with a gas burner or electric elements and sends that air through your ducts. Furnaces come as single-stage, two-stage, and variable-speed models, and condensing models reach 90 percent AFUE or higher. We help you compare efficiency, comfort features, and the ultra-low-NOx models that current air quality rules require. Explore the options on our furnaces page.

Furnace Installation

When a furnace reaches the end of its service life, replacement takes more than swapping a box. The job includes removing the old unit, sizing the new one, connecting the gas line and venting, checking the ductwork, pulling the permit, and testing the system before we leave. Our furnace installation covers the process, including California’s low-NOx requirement.

Ductless Air Conditioning and Heating

Ductless mini-split heat pumps heat and cool individual rooms without ductwork. That fits room additions, garages, ADUs, converted spaces, and homes with leaky or missing ducts, and each indoor head gives you its own temperature control. Our ductless air conditioning and heating service covers the options for your space.

Whole-House Indoor Air Filtration

Your heating system moves every cubic foot of air in the home through the filter and ducts, which makes it the natural place to clean that air. Whole-house filtration at the furnace or air handler reduces dust, pollen, pet dander, and smoke particles throughout the home, which helps during Santa Ana wind and wildfire smoke events. Our whole-house indoor air filtration explains the system types.

Which Heating Service Fits Your Situation?

Use this guide to find the right place to start. Still comparing equipment types? Our guide to the different types of heating systems explains how each one works.

Common Heating Problems and Warning Signs in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego Homes

Our long cooling season, dusty air, and the age of local equipment produce a recognizable set of heating problems. Watch for these signs.

• No heat on the first cold night.  Furnaces idle for months, then fail the first time they run. Cracked ignitors, oxidized flame sensors, tripped safety switches, and dead thermostat batteries lead the list.
• Cool air from the vents.  A gas furnace blowing cool air usually shuts its burners off early. A heat pump that blows cool air for a few minutes may simply be defrosting.
• Short cycling.  A system that starts and stops every few minutes usually has restricted airflow, a dirty sensor, or a sizing problem.
• Uneven heat between rooms.  Leaky or crushed attic ducts, closed registers, and undersized returns leave some rooms warm and others cold.
• New noises.  Banging, squealing, rattling, or clicking each point to a different part, so describe the sound when you call.
• Yellow or orange flames.  A healthy natural gas flame burns mostly blue. A lazy yellow or orange flame deserves an inspection.
• Rising energy use.  A system that works harder to deliver the same warmth often has a dirty filter, leaking ducts, or worn components.
• Heat pump problems.  Ice on the outdoor unit, constant backup heat, or a unit that will not switch between heating and cooling all need a technician.
• Repeated repairs.  Two or three repairs in a single season signal that the system may be near the end of its life.

Heating Repair vs. Replacement: How to Decide

Most heating problems respond well to repair, but some point toward replacement. Our NATE Certified technicians give you an honest assessment of both options. Our guide to when to replace your old furnace lists the key indicators in more detail.

Replacement furnaces in western Riverside County must meet South Coast AQMD Rule 1111, which limits NOx from residential natural gas furnaces to 14 nanograms per joule. Our page on California’s new furnace emissions standards explains what that means when you shop.

What You Can Check Yourself, and What Needs a Licensed Technician

A few checks are safe for any homeowner and sometimes solve the problem. Anything involving gas, combustion, refrigerant, or electrical components belongs with a licensed professional.

Our Heating Service Process

• Call and schedule.  Call (951) 760-4215 and tell us the symptoms or the project. We schedule the earliest available visit and send a technician with the right tools.
• Safety check first.  The technician checks for gas odor, venting problems, and carbon monoxide risk before any testing begins.
• Diagnosis or home assessment.  For repairs, we test the ignition sequence, airflow, electrical components, and controls in order. For installations, we assess sizing, ductwork, and your goals.
• Clear explanation and written quote.  We show you what we found, explain your options in plain language, and give you a written quote before any work starts.
• Skilled work and permits.  NATE Certified technicians complete the work, and we pull the required permits under our license.
• Testing and walkthrough.  We run the system through a full heating cycle, verify safe operation, and show you how everything works.
• Follow-up and protection.  Every HVAC repair carries our 3-Year Exclusive Performance Guarantee, and our Maintenance Program keeps the system ready season after season.

Why Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego Homeowners Choose Liberty Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning

Frequently Asked Questions: Heating Services in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego, CA

What heating services does Liberty Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning provide in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego?

We install, repair, and maintain gas furnaces, heat pumps, and ductless mini-split systems. Our services also include furnace and heater replacement, thermostat and control repair, whole-house indoor air filtration, and 24/7 emergency heating repair. NATE Certified, Master Licensed technicians handle every job under California Contractor License #761640.

Which cities do you serve for heating besides Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego?

We serve Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Moreno Valley, Perris, Corona, Riverside, Homeland, Nuevo, Fallbrook, Bonsall, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Escondido, Valley Center, and Rancho Bernardo. Call (951) 760-4215 to confirm service for your address.

What is the difference between a furnace and a heat pump?

A furnace creates heat by burning natural gas or using electric elements, then blows that heat through your ducts. A heat pump moves heat from the outdoor air into your home with refrigerant, and a reversing valve switches it to cooling in summer. A furnace needs a separate air conditioner for cooling, while one heat pump does both.

Which type of heating system works best for a Southern California home?

It depends on your home’s ductwork, fuel source, and goals. Gas furnaces deliver strong heat on the coldest nights, heat pumps run efficiently in our mild winters and also cool in summer, and ductless systems suit additions and ADUs. During your in-home estimate, we compare the options against your home’s layout and the equipment you already have.

Is a heat pump less expensive to run than a gas furnace?

It depends on your gas and electric rates, the equipment’s efficiency rating, and how many hours you run heat. A heat pump moves heat instead of creating it, which uses electricity efficiently in mild winters, while a high-efficiency gas furnace converts 90 percent or more of its fuel to heat. We walk through both options for your home so you can compare.

Do you repair heaters as well as furnaces?

Yes. Homeowners use “heater” to mean a furnace, a heat pump, or a ductless unit, and we repair all three. Our technicians diagnose gas furnaces, electric furnaces, heat pumps, ductless systems, and the thermostats and controls that run them.

How often should I schedule heating maintenance, and when is the best time?

Schedule heating maintenance once a year, ideally in early fall before the first cold nights. A tune-up catches cracked ignitors, dirty flame sensors, weak capacitors, and clogged filters before they cause a no-heat call. Homes with both a furnace and an air conditioner can pair the visits, since the two share a blower and ductwork.

How do I know whether to repair or replace my furnace?

Repair usually fits a newer furnace with an isolated failure, such as an ignitor, flame sensor, or capacitor. Replacement usually fits a furnace past 15 to 20 years old, a cracked heat exchanger, or repeated repairs in one season. Our technicians give you an honest assessment of both options and a written quote before any work starts.

How long does a furnace or heat pump last?

Furnaces commonly last 15 to 20 years, and heat pumps often last 10 to 15 years, depending on installation quality, maintenance, and run time. Southern California’s long cooling season adds hours to a heat pump. Regular maintenance helps any system reach the upper end of its range.

Why won’t my furnace start the first time I use it each season?

A furnace that sat idle all summer commonly fails for a few reasons: a thermostat set to Cool or with dead batteries, a clogged filter that tripped the limit switch, a tripped breaker or float switch, or a cracked ignitor. Check those first. If the furnace still does not start, call (951) 760-4215 and we will trace the failure.

Why is my heater blowing cold air?

On a gas furnace, cool air usually means the burners shut off early because of a dirty flame sensor, a clogged filter, or an overheating limit switch. On a heat pump, short bursts of cooler air can be a normal defrost cycle. If the cool air lasts, a technician should diagnose the cause.

Why does my furnace turn on and off every few minutes?

Short cycling usually comes from restricted airflow, a dirty flame sensor, a blocked vent, an oversized furnace, or a thermostat issue. Replace the filter first. If the cycling continues, schedule a diagnostic visit, because repeated overheating strains the heat exchanger and shortens the furnace’s life.

What should I do if I smell gas near my furnace?

Leave the home right away and call your gas utility’s emergency line or 911 from a safe location. In SoCalGas territory, call 1-800-427-2200. Do not use switches, phones, or appliances inside. Gas leaks require immediate attention from a licensed professional, and we inspect the furnace and gas connections once the utility clears the home.

What should I do if my carbon monoxide alarm sounds?

Move everyone outside into fresh air and call 911 or your fire department. Do not re-enter until responders clear the home. After that, call (951) 760-4215 so a licensed technician can inspect your furnace, venting, and other fuel-burning appliances.

Does California require carbon monoxide alarms?

Yes. Health and Safety Code Section 17926 requires a listed carbon monoxide alarm in dwellings that have a fossil fuel burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage. Place alarms near sleeping areas and test them at the start of each heating season.

Do you offer emergency heating service?

Yes. We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Call (951) 760-4215 for a no-heat emergency, and call your gas utility first if you smell natural gas.

Do you service every heating brand?

Yes. Our NATE Certified technicians repair furnaces, heat pumps, and ductless systems from all major brands, regardless of who installed them. For installation, we work with American Standard and other top brands.

What is the 3-Year Exclusive Performance Guarantee?

It applies to HVAC repairs completed by Liberty Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning. If the specific issue we diagnosed and repaired returns within three years because of our repair, we address it.

Do I need a permit to replace a furnace or heat pump?

Replacing a furnace, coil, air handler, or outdoor unit typically needs a mechanical permit from your local building department: Murrieta Building & Safety, the County of Riverside Building and Safety Department for unincorporated Winchester, or the City of San Diego Development Services Department. Title 24 adds duct and system testing. We pull the permits under our license and handle the inspections. Simple repairs such as an ignitor or capacitor usually do not need one.

What are California’s low-NOx rules for gas furnaces?

South Coast AQMD Rule 1111 limits NOx from residential natural gas furnaces to 14 nanograms per joule in western Riverside County, so replacement furnaces there must carry an ultra-low NOx certification. San Diego County falls under a different air district with its own rules. We confirm the requirement for your address before we order equipment.

What does AFUE mean, and what rating should I choose?

AFUE, or annual fuel utilization efficiency, shows the percentage of fuel a furnace converts into heat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, condensing furnaces reach 90 to 98.5 percent AFUE. A higher rating uses less fuel for the same warmth, but our short heating season stretches the payback, so we help you weigh rating, comfort features, and how much you use heat.

What is a ductless mini-split, and when does it make sense?

A ductless mini-split pairs an outdoor heat pump unit with one or more wall-mounted indoor heads, so it heats and cools without ductwork. It suits room additions, garages, ADUs, sunrooms, and homes with leaky or missing ducts, and each head controls its own zone.

Can you add heating to a garage, room addition, or ADU?

Yes. A ductless system usually fits these spaces best because it avoids extending ducts and sizes to the room. For some additions, extending existing ductwork works if the main system has the capacity. We check the load before recommending either option.

What thermostat should I use with a new heating system?

Match the thermostat to your equipment. Heat pumps need a thermostat that supports their reversing valve and any backup heat, and variable-speed furnaces work best with a compatible control. Programmable and smart thermostats help you manage schedules. We configure the thermostat during installation and show you how to use it.

How can I lower my heating energy use without replacing my system?

Replace the filter on schedule, set the thermostat back while you sleep or are away, keep registers open and unblocked, and schedule annual maintenance. Sealing duct leaks can make a noticeable difference in homes with attic ductwork.

Can my heating system affect indoor air quality?

Yes. Your system moves all the air in your home through the filter and ducts, so a clogged filter, leaky ducts, or a poorly maintained system can circulate dust and allergens. A fresh filter, clean ducts, and whole-house filtration improve what your family breathes, especially during Santa Ana winds and wildfire smoke.

Do you offer financing for heating installation or replacement?

Yes. Financing is available for heating system projects. Call (951) 760-4215 and we will walk you through the options when we review your written quote.

Do you offer a maintenance plan?

Yes. Our Maintenance Program schedules recurring visits so a technician checks your heating and cooling equipment before each season. Call (951) 760-4215 to ask what the program includes for your equipment.

How long does a heating repair or installation take?

Many repairs finish during one visit once the technician finds the cause, although parts we must order take longer. Most residential installations take one to two days, depending on the system type and your home’s layout. We confirm the timeline in your quote.

How do I schedule heating service in Murrieta, Winchester, or San Diego?

Call (951) 760-4215 any time. Tell us your address, the symptoms or project, and the make and model of your equipment if you have it. We schedule the earliest available visit and send a NATE Certified technician who diagnoses first and explains your options before any work starts.

Local Data: Heating in Murrieta, Winchester, and San Diego

Local Housing by Decade

Builders completed most of the Murrieta area’s homes within a single generation, and that timeline shapes the age of local heating equipment. This table shows the share of homes built in each period, from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) local housing profiles, which draw on U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data for 2014 to 2018.

A home built in 2000 and still running its original furnace now has a 26-year-old system. Homes from the 1980s have usually seen at least one replacement, and their ductwork is often the oldest part of the system. Winchester is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, so these city profiles do not cover it, but its neighbors show how quickly the region grew in a single generation.

Climate and Operating Conditions

Winters stay mild, and the coldest nights arrive in December and January. Heating season is short, summers are long and hot, and the shared blower and ductwork spend most of the year cooling. Heat pumps do well in this climate because mild winters keep them working efficiently, and furnaces cycle for relatively few weeks. Dust and Santa Ana winds load filters quickly, and wildfire smoke seasons add to that load.

Air Quality Rules by District

Western Riverside County, including Murrieta, Winchester, and Temecula, falls under the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Its Rule 1111 limits NOx from natural gas central furnaces to 14 nanograms per joule, so replacement gas furnaces there must carry an ultra-low NOx certification. In June 2025, the District’s governing board voted against proposed zero-NOx amendments to Rules 1111 and 1121. Rules can change, so we confirm the current requirement when we write your quote. San Diego County falls under the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, which maintains its own rules, and we verify the requirement for your address before we order equipment.

Permits by Jurisdiction

Replacing a furnace, coil, air handler, or outdoor unit typically needs a mechanical permit. Murrieta homeowners work with Murrieta Building & Safety, unincorporated Winchester falls under the County of Riverside Building and Safety Department, and San Diego falls under the City of San Diego Development Services Department, whose mechanical permit lists furnace replacement among the work that qualifies for a simple permit. California’s Title 24 energy code adds duct and system testing for replacements, and a HERS rater verifies the results. We pull the permits under our license and schedule the inspections.

Gas, Electric, and Carbon Monoxide Safety

SoCalGas supplies natural gas across most of western Riverside County, and San Diego Gas & Electric supplies it in San Diego. California Health and Safety Code Section 17926 requires carbon monoxide alarms in dwellings with fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace, or an attached garage. Test your alarms at the start of each heating season, and ask your technician to check the alarms near sleeping areas during a service visit.

Schedule Heating Service in Murrieta, Winchester, or San Diego Today