This is an overdue review for Alton Air. Mike, the owner, is one of the friendliest and professional person in the business. He is our "go to guy" for air conditioning and heating needs. His son, Jake and fellow technicians are always prompt and courteous. We have been using Alton air since 2005. Please support family owned business. Highly recommend them for your future needs. read more

GREAT SERVICE, WAS AT MY HOUSE IN A FLASH... will use them again & will tell my friends... No charge for travel also, Family oriented business., loved the son and the owner. read more

Have been using Alton since 1980 and wouldn't consider another company for either our residential or commercial buildings. Ethical, responsiv, fairly priced. read more

Excellent response and very honest. Have dealt with this company for over 30 years and have never been disappointed.

I don't trust any other company for HVAC issues in my home. I've used Alton Air for 6 years and they are very responsive, honest, knowledgeable and fairly priced! I aways recommend them to family, friends and neighbors. read more

I'd recommend Alton Air Conditioning & Heating to my friends and family. My American Standard Freedom 80 heater wasn't working about 4 months ago. The LED code was flashing 4 times. When I looked on line for some troubleshooting tips the groups said to try to replace the filter. I did and it worked. But now I had a 3 flashing LED code. I checked Yelp and found a "guy". The guy seemed nice enough, but really didn't have a clue. He tapped on what looked like a control module and the heater worked. He tapped again and then it didn't. He then told me it would be $1200 to replace. I paid him for the service call, sent him on his way, and continued to tap the module whenever it didn't work. Fast forward to last week when the tapping wouldn't fix it any more. I found the number of the company who installed it and they no longer serviced my area. They recommend I check the American Standard website for an authorized dealer. When I hear "Authorized Dealer", I think twice the cost of what it really should cost, but I'm desperate because the "magic tap" is no longer working and the house is cold because its pouring outside. I spoke to "Mike" (who I believe is the owner) and he gave me some troubleshooting advice. I thought that was nice of him, as most repair places want an arm and a leg. (thinking back to the "guy" who showed me the "magic tap"). He told me to try and call him if I still needed help. I tried and it didn't work. It looked like the problem was electrical, not mechanical. When I called back Mike was able to get me an appointment right away, so I booked it. Enter the repair tech "Jake". Jake came on time (8 min early actually) and quickly started going through all of the troubleshooting checks that Mike instructed me on. Jake however had mad "magic tap" skills, and was able to track down the problem to a fried PC board connection where the molex wiring harness met the PC board. Jake called the office to get a quote on a replacement control module. Yes, this is the same control module that the other guy recommended, but Jake was actually able to show me what the problem was and decode the secret of the magic tap. The quote was lower, but still a lot of money. I asked Jake if there were any other "cheaper" options, as my pool filter went out the previous week, which set me back $800. Jake did some quick research and found a replacement (non OEM) option which was about 35% less. Sold! The control module needed to be ordered, so Jake came back the next business day and installed the new one. He even did some troubleshooting on my thermostat and left me feeling confident that I went with the right company. Not only did Alton Air & Heating give me free advice, but they also suggested cost effective options and provided quick installation. Thanks Jake and Mike! read more

Alton Air Conditioning - Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC Near Me

PG&E came to turn the gas back on after my house was tented. They were able to turn everything on except the furnace. They said the pilot to the furnace was not holding, there was a malfunction in the control valve and needed to be replaced by a HVAC tech. I was getting around to searching for one when the first cold snap of this year hit. My mobile home was so cold!!! I started calling places, and leaving messages. Everyone I spoke to could get me on their schedule 1-2 weeks out just to see what was wrong with my furnace and no promise to fix it. I was able to get a guy from a certain company to come the next day. He said he had 15 years experience. He checked my furnace, took it apart, cleaned it, put it back together and tried to turn it on. Still the pilot light would not hold. He told me he could fix it for $500+ just to have it work for a while, that it would break down again and that I should just get a new furnace. His office manager called me later saying that it would be $3,000 to install a new furnace without permits 2 days later or closer to $4,000 with permits for a new furnace and they could get it done 2-3 weeks out. Aside from them not having experience with mobile homes, I was feeling overwhelmed and needed to breathe so I told them I would call them back. I started calling places again, asking for quotes for a new furnace. I called ALTON AC & HEATING INC., spoke to Mr. Mike and asked for a furnace quote. He started asking me so many different questions about my furnace and didn't sound convinced about me needing a new furnace. He is very experienced with mobile homes. I begged him to come out and check my furnace, saying he would be my knight in shinning armor. If he replaced 2 parts and get it back and running he would charge me LESS THAN THE OTHER GUY. He was able to move some things around with his service manager, Jacob, and come in about an hour later. Mr. Mike was very professional, honest and checked several things. He took things apart and put it back several times checking to see if the tweaks he had done made a difference. Watching him work reminded me of my grandfather, not giving up or going for the easy way out of wanting to replace my furnace. He ended up replacing 2 parts (control valve and coupling). He also took several pictures and explained to me that my furnace was old but still in good shape. Mr. Mike is so professional, he even had a small vacuum with him and cleaned the area he was working in before he left! I had never seen someone do that before. I asked him how I would go about paying him. He said he would wait a few days to make sure everything is working and he left me his cell number. Now my home is warm and we don't have to suffer through the cold this winter! AND he saved me from a ginormous expense!!! I wish more people had his honest work ethic. THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. MIKE! read more

Showed up on time, Technician is thorough on checking all sensors and gas solenoids. also a good instructor on how the system works. I learned a lot on how a furnace works. turned out the exhaust and air intake is the problem. They charge reasonable and will definitely recommend to all friends for HVAC needs. read more

Mike and Jake did a great job. I manage rental properties all over the bay area and they fixed an AC unit for me during the heat wave. They gave me several options to choose from either repairing the very old AC unit, replacing it, and replacing the whole older HVAC system. We decided to just replace the AC unit. They communicated well, offered reasonable prices and replaced the unit quickly. read more

Awful customer service. Been calling for 2 weeks with zero response. Absolutely awful and buyer beware!

First rate service. Mike, the owner, is very friendly on the phone and confirmed the appointment. Jake Alton, the son, come out to my home EXACTLY on time - to the minute! They are pros. Jake asked the right questions, inspected the unit, and then explained my options, answered my questions fully and got to work. My unit was in overall good shape but needed freon and as a preventative measure, he recommended I replace the switch on the compressor. Overall, I was impressed and can recommend this family business. In fact, I told a co-worker today on the great service. I encourage fellow Fremont residents to give Alton a go. You'll have icy AC for the hot summers. read more

These people should not be listed as being in business. They DO NOT return repeated phone calls, over a period of one week. The number I am dialing is the one from their sticker which they attached to my air conditioner. Something has happened. A year ago they were excellent. Today they don't exist read more

Having spent around $10k with a company, referred another $5-10k, and never missed a payment it confuses me when they demand half of the payment for their next job up front then cancel my job because of it 45 min before the appointment window. This cancelation came after multiple unreturned voicemails and even a promise to call back (took me 2 weeks to hear back and I had to text his son to get response). When I called this morning 45 min before my slotted time he was ready to send people on another job immediately. You'd expect more for a company that you've dealt with for 4 years. I was told it was because it took 5 days to pay last time, 3 to pay , 2 for credit card to process. What professional business to business company operates on a net 5 payment structure? How come when it was taking me 3 days to pay was Mike telling me he needed that money to pay payroll. How do I know that he won't take the half up front and run with it like many contractors I've dealt with in the past, especially when they have told me they can't make payroll? How about the time it takes to get a job done? I've had their employees stop for 3 hours of a day to work in something so they could spread out all the jobs for what i assume to be getting more deposits. Most of the time their workers don't show for a whole day, they try to work 2 jobs a day it seems like. Most of my jobs could have been completed in half the time. All in all I'm more shocked with the complete disregard for professionalism than canceling of the job. read more

One of the best Companies around - extremely helpful informative and professional all the way. Alton Air has helped me with numerous projects throughout the years and has always delivered.. If your looking for a a company that can handle your AC/Heating needs in the Bay Area - then this the right company - Special Shoutout to Jay for coming out short notice to take care of AC issue - can't beat this kinda service... read more

Alton Air Conditioning will be the only service folks I call, ever again. Hands down, the best service I have seen in my many years in the Tri- Valley. I called to inquire about regular maintenance for my HVAC system, Mike got back to me quickly, and scheduled a prompt service. I could not be more thrilled. The service rep Jake was thorough, impeccable with terrific attention to detail, friendly, covid conscious. I could go on and on. Don't waste your time reading any more reviews. You want honest, down to earth with very fair pricing, call Alton today. Family owned a plus! read more

I used Alton to install an AC and Heater, they were beyond fabulous. They arrived on time, did the work without making a mess and it was done in two days. Further, I had issues with my Homeowners Association and they worked with them to resolve the issue. They didn't charge me extra for any of the extra work they had to do which in this day and age is amazing. I want to add Jake, Mike and Josh are incredible people and go out of their way to make you happy. I'm thrilled I use them and have recommended others use Alton. Thanks guys, I so appreciate you all. read more

This outfit installed the heater in my house in 1997 - when my dad owned it. It is my place now and the heater is old (obviously) but usually works fine. This season, however, I turned it on and weird noise and no heat - aaargue. No worries - I called the number on the service sticker "Alton" and had Mike out to the house for a look in a flash! Age had finally taken the motor but he had a new one ordered and installed in days! SUPER professional, friendly, and BEST OF ALL, PROMPT. Each time he gave me a time window they were here EXACTLY when they said they would be! Now a days, when life is so busy, it is so nice to be able to count on someone being on time. The price was extremely fair also. Now hopefully we will get some rain and cold and I will be able to hunker down in my warm house :O) read more

Sorry Alton, but I stopped using you for our HVAC services. Your technician replaced a filter for us, and rather than putting the correct size (24"), he took a 25" filter and creased it, and shoved it in for a quick fix. Obviously, this left a small space where unfiltered air could come into the intake. I don't think it would be that hard to just put the correct size in. Another company came in to do an estimate (apples-to-apples to yours) for the duct work and they came in much lower. They also pointed out additional issues with our ducts and proposed more extensive fixes, and they still came in under your proposed price. read more

Sorry for the long post, but I want to be thorough and fair in my criticism. Alton installed a central heating & air conditioning system for us about 5 years ago, and the air conditioning system has never worked properly. It gradually loses its cooling ability and can't hold a temperature on a warm day. I've had them out 5 times to inspect, and each time the tech basically recharges the system and leaves. After talking to a mechanical contractor and doing my own research, I have now come to realize that the problem is due to a leak in the system and it is losing refrigerant. My problem is not with the fact that it has a leak, but with Alton's response to the situation. I've spoken to the owner, Mike, on two occasions and expressed my frustration. My wife spoke to him just yesterday. He has never apologized for the inconvenience, nor has he personally gotten involved to make a visit to our home to get to the root of the problem. His techs are nice guys and appear to know what they are doing, but all that has ever been done is basically to recharge the system until we call them up when the AC fails again, and they do the same thing again. What's that definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? You have to understand that ideally, an AC system should never lose its refrigerant, so the fact that it has had to be re-charged at all should have been a giant red flag to Alton. I now understand that this is Air Conditioning Repair 101, so the fact that Alton has basically ignored it for 5 years is alarming at best. A pressure test is the only proper way to find a leak, and Alton has never performed one. The first time it failed, the tech CHARGED me $180 to re-charge the system with refrigerant. I thought it was odd, but since I had never owned central air before, I paid the fee. I started asking friends with AC if they had ever needed their system recharged, and they all said never. Not one. Hmmm. The second time they came out, they recharged it again, but the tech convinced me that the problem was our old duct work in the attic. He said it had some leaks and wasn't well insulated, so that if we replaced the ductwork, that would solve the problem. I paid them about $3,000 to replace it. As you guessed, it wasn't the problem. So now I have nice ductwork, but the problem persists. The next time a tech came out he re-charged the system (again) and said it was too cold to test for leaks, and they'd come back on a warmer day. They never came back. I had to call them when it failed again. The next time they recharged it (again), but still did not do a pressure test. However the tech discovered that the unit had been wired incorrectly from the get-go. A rather embarrassing admission, I'm sure, but he felt that would solve the problem. Guess again. So this last week I measured the air temperature again and saw it was time to make the annual call to Alton to try to get this fixed once and for all. My wife spoke to Mike, and he sent out some installers right away. This tech recharged the system (again). My wife asked him how often one should have to recharge a system. He replied, "Never." She asked what the solution was, and he replied, "Well, the next time, we'll have to do a pressure test to find the leak." Um, really? There is going to be a next time? You're going to wait until it fails again before you act to remedy this? The indoor coils have been icing up because of the low refrigerant, which has caused water to leak out from the drain pipe, which has damaged the underlayment on the floor, and who knows if there is damage to the subfloor as well. The water has also been dripping inside the blower unit, so the filter was half soaked with water, and there is now rust on parts of the unit at the bottom. The tech asked to take the half-soaked filter with him so he could show it to Mike Alton, but we have not heard anything back yet. Hopefully Mr. Alton will be inspired to do the right thing and get this thing properly repaired. But given past performance, I am not optimistic. I am also a contractor myself in a different trade, and run a small business with a dozen employees. I understand things go bad, and sometimes they go really bad. But when they do, I personally jump in to make things right, no matter what it costs me. Sometimes it's not even our fault, but I will lose as much money as it takes to make it right. I'm not seeing that here with Alton. Seems like after the fifth time we called, three of the times to him directly, Mike Alton would be saying to himself, "Boy, there's obviously a problem here we need to make right." But instead he seems to be simply ignoring it, hoping it will go away, I guess. If you need service on an existing system, I'm sure Alton is a good choice. But if you are looking for a new system to be installed, I cannot recommend them. read more

We have used Alton in the past to install our air conditioner and tune ups when the Owner Mike was in charge and everything was outstanding. Since he has retired, sadly the business end has faltered. My wife called 2 weeks ago and left a message for someone to come out and repair our furnace. As of today no one has returned her call. I called back 3 days ago, again leaving a message on their machine to have someone call back regarding our furnace. Again, no one have returned our call. I do not understand how you can successfully run a business and claim a AAA better business rating with poor customer service like this. So we now have moved on to another company that, by the way answered their phone on the second ring. That company now has our business and sadly Alton has lost our business and endorsements. read more

I would recommend this company based alone on their customer services, This is a family run business which I didn't know at first until the next day when the tech came out to give me an estimate, great price, Great response time as my client which she is in her late 80's, It was so hot out that week that they squeezed her in and by the 3rd day she had it installed for the next heat wave. Thank You Jake, you're brother and especially your Father who helped to make it happen. KUDOS to you all, C.Ryan read more

We live in Livermore and bought a furnace from Alton and really liked the service. But our air went out a couple weeks ago and Alton does not answer their phones nor call back when I leave messages nor respond to email messages. I understand that this might be a busy time for the company, but no response is unacceptable. read more

I think they bit the dust. When I call I get a message that AT&T can help me find a similar business in my area and that the number is no longer in service. Too bad. They have provided us with AC service for the past 15 years. read more

In the 25 years we've owned our home, we have only had to call out a service rep twice for air-conditioning problems. Alton responded immediately on both occasions, found and fixed the problem. Earlier this week, because of the age of the system and the way we were using (abusing) it, one of the new parts fried itself after two days. Alton came back for no service charge and fixed it again, and gave additional advice on how to avoid putting too much stress on the system while still keeping cool. No pressure, no hassle. Excellent service. read more

Alton's Air Conditioning has been my family go-to experts for HVAC. My husband found them through his building in Fremont years ago. Since that time, we have used them at home as well on several occasions. I find Mike, Jake and Jay to be honest, prompt, knowledgeable and fair priced. I had what I considered an A/C emergency during the recent heat wave. They came out quickly and dealt with the problem. I can recommend them without reservation! read more

My heater was extremely loud and called up Alton. They were out in an hour or so. I liked that they also called right before arriving. The technician quickly diagnosed the problem and fixed the issue. He also took the time to clean the furnace completely as it was really dirty and clogged. He also showed me some key maintenance steps for the future. I would definitely recommend Alton to others. If I could mark as 4.5 starts I would just because there was never any mention of cost before the work was done. I supposed I should have asked but to be perfect, I think you should be upfront about hourly rates, estimates, etc., to help manage the customer's expectations. The good news is that the cost was fair and I would definitely use again. read more

Our heater wasn't working and is 16 years old. My fear was getting some sales guy coming to my home and telling me that it can not be repaired and forcing me to purchase a new heater when it does not really need to be replaced. I asked around for a couple of referrals and Alton Air & Heating came up. I called and they gave me several times to choose from for the appointment and offered to call when they were 30 minutes away. Matt was my tech and he checked the heater and found out what was wrong quickly and fixed the heater without trying to sell me some BS. The price for the repair was very fair I thought and the services was great. Matt displayed integrity with the job he did and didn't pull any fun stuff by speaking over my head. It was good to do business with a small privately owned company. I will use them again. read more

This company was recommend by neighbor. I called 3 different vendors, all very well established with great reputations. Alton was very competitive in price, right in the middle.So I went with them to add a ductless A/C systems for our 2nd floor. Mike called 10 to 15 minutes EACH DAY to let me know the installers would arrive shortly. The installers did a great job, very meticulous and cleaned up before leaving. What I liked about the installers was that they asked me what I thought about the locations for the units before doing the work, and we discussed several options. Fernando offered suggestions and never left me thinking it was all about how THEY wanted to do it without talking to me first. I'm somewhat fussy about things and he respected my comments. I see that some said that Alton was hard to get a hold of, or never returned calls. I NEVER had that experience with them. Mike, the owner was very prompt in returning calls and answered my questions. I did not expect a call back the same day, so leaving a message and having a call back a day or 2 later should NOT be an issue, especially at this time of year. Jake, the sales rep who first came out is very knowledgeable and offered several suggestions. I have no problem highly recommending Alton to anyone. read more

We had a problem with our air conditioner and they sent a technician over to fix it. He did a nice job and he was very fair and honest with the price. After a few days we realized it still wasn't working properly so we called them back and they sent the technician back over. He replaced a broken part at no additional charge. I would recommend this company to my friends. read more

Came out to inspect a furnace that was not working. Nice guy and quite competent. Furnace stopped working a few days later. Left a message. They never called back. It may have not been their fault. I would have gladly paid them again, if it wasn't. read more

So disappointed!! This company installed my heater 12 years ago, AND my AC a couple years later. Serviced my heater a few years after heater installation and determined needed to replace the circuit board...no problem, received great service at the time. Since then reached out to the company at least 4 times for heater issues. Most recently 1 week ago: heater would not heat, only blew out cold air. Called but only got a voicemail. Left message. NEVER received a call back. Even tried email appointment. Same disappointment!! NO REPLY! Each time company never followed-up!!! read more

Two thumbs up! Our furnace stopped working this week. We called Alton because they had serviced our furnace twice before and both of those times we were very satisfied with their work. They did not disappoint this time again. Mike (who took our call and made the appointment for the same day) and Jake (serviceman) were professional, courteous and prompt. On arrival, Mike put on booties to ensure he didn't get our carpet dirty and his expertise was evident as he quickly diagnosed the problem, which was a faulty control board. One of the things we appreciated was Mike's ability to clearly explain what was wrong in layman's terms. Mike called in to order the part and he returned the next day to install it. Although he didn't have to, Mike also took the time to vacuum the entire furnace closet leaving it cleaner than he found it. We believe in supporting local businesses provided they are professional can competent. Alton AC & Heating meets those expectations and I recommend them. read more

We recently installed a Mitsubishi heating and air conditioning system in a commercial office building in Oakland, CA. We had solicited multiple bids but chose Alton Air not only because they were competitively priced, but because we felt that the family owned business would provide a better level of personalized service and would be there to service our long term growth needs as we added new tenants. While the initial install experience was positive, the original justification for choosing Alton turned out to be wildly poor judgement. We recently had to add several tenants. They would not return our phone calls or emails. Nor would they supply the "design file" that was used to spec out the system with Mitsubishi. We ultimately had to go to another vendor to reverse engineer the design file for our existing system. We are now out of pocket several thousand dollars as a result. So much for choosing Alton Air. I would think twice before choosing them. read more

We have been a customer for many years and they did not let us down today! Our AC stopped cooling late Saturday afternoon. We called at 8am today, Monday, and Jake was here and had it fixed shortly after 11am. read more

I don't know what has happened to this company as they used to be responsive, but I have tried for weeks to have them come inspect an air conditioner they installed last year. I have left numerous voicemails and emails but have not been contacted. If this is how they are running their business now I would stay clear of this company. read more

I have given up on Alton Air. We had used them in past for various jobs but something had changed with the company. They are completely unresponsive, multiple voicemails, emails etc. NO response. They should at least have the courtesy to respond for a past customer. Not even considerate enough to do so. I am now looking other options. read more

They never answered phone message or on-line request for service.

Labor Day, a heat wave and the air conditioner wasn't working. We called Alton at 7am, and Jake was at our house about 9:30am. An hour later the house is cooling down. We have used Alton for 20+ years and they have always given excellent service. Whatever caused the non-response reviews has been corrected. Don't hesitate to call Alton. read more

I've used Alton for my air conditioning system in the past and I called them back for my heating system today. Both experiences were 5-star. I called up and Mike (the owner) answered. He was courteous and told me he would have a technician to my house within the hour and he called me again 10 minutes prior to the tech arriving. The technician was courteous and worked quickly and efficiently. Three hours from when I placed the call to Alton my heater was fixed and the price was very fair. My business is now Alton's to lose going forward! read more

Alton Air installed new furnace, Electronic Air Cleaner, UV light and a wireless thermostat in my home. I was expecting this to take a few days to complete installation, But to my surprise it was done in one day. The installation looks very professional. The furnace works great and i am having less allergy problems in my home. When i got home my garage was cleaner than when i left in the morning. I would recommend Alton Air if you want a fair and professional installation in your home. read more