What does light-commercial HVAC service cover?
Light commercial is the equipment on and in smaller buildings: packaged rooftop units over a strip-mall tenant, a split system in a dental office, commercial furnaces in a retail space, gas unit heaters hanging in a shop or warehouse, and ductless mini-splits in offices and server closets. We work on this equipment for restaurants, offices, retail stores and multifamily buildings across the metro, from Minneapolis and Saint Paul out about 50 miles, including Hudson and River Falls in Western Wisconsin.
The major rooftop unit makers, including Carrier, Trane, York and Lennox, build their packaged units around the same core parts: a gas heat section, a refrigeration circuit, supply and exhaust fans, and often an economizer. Diagnosis follows the same logic as a home furnace or AC, with bigger components, three-phase power on many units, and a roof to get to.
Rooftop units through a Minnesota winter
A rooftop unit sits on top of the building, out in the wind all winter, and it has problems a basement furnace doesn't.
- Gas heat sections. The heat exchanger, inducer, igniter and flame sensor work like a furnace's and wear the same way, but a cracked heat exchanger on a rooftop unit can send flue gas into the supply air. It should be checked every fall.
- Economizers. An economizer brings in outside air to cool the building on mild days without running the compressor. When its damper sticks open in January, the unit blows cold air, trips the freeze protection, or can't keep up with the heat load. A damper stuck shut in summer wastes cooling energy.
- Snow and ice. Drifts can block outdoor air intakes and bury the condensate drain line on the roof. Ice buildup on the cabinet can bind fan blades.
- Belts and filters. Older units with belt-driven blowers need belts checked and tensioned, and dirty filters make the heat section run hot the same way they do in a house.
Summer brings its own set: condenser coils packed with cottonwood, weak capacitors, and refrigerant leaks. Our technicians hold EPA Section 608 certification, which federal rules require for anyone who handles refrigerant.
Make-up air and kitchen ventilation basics
A restaurant hood pulls a large volume of air out of the kitchen. Every cubic foot that goes out has to come back in from somewhere. The make-up air unit's job is to bring in a matching amount of outdoor air and heat it in winter, so the kitchen isn't pulling freezing air through the doors.
When make-up air fails, or someone shuts it off because the kitchen feels cold, the building goes negative. Doors get hard to open, cold drafts pour in at the entrances, and the flues of gas water heaters and furnaces can backdraft, which spills combustion gases into the building. If your back door fights you every time the hood is running, call and describe the equipment, and we'll tell you whether it's something we can service.
Unit heaters, commercial furnaces and mini-splits
Shops, warehouses, garages and service bays usually heat with gas unit heaters hung near the ceiling. They're simple, but they share the same failure points as a furnace, and venting and gas supply are the usual weak spots in older buildings. Our garage heater guide covers the options for smaller spaces.
Offices and retail spaces in converted buildings often run on commercial furnaces with split AC systems, much like a large house. Server rooms, IT closets and offices with one room that never matches the rest of the building are a good fit for ductless mini-splits. A server room needs cooling in January, so the unit has to be rated for low-ambient cooling. See ductless mini-splits for how those systems are laid out.
Multifamily buildings and property managers
Apartment buildings, townhome associations and mixed-use buildings combine all of the above. Older buildings may run a boiler, and newer ones often have a furnace or air handler in each unit. What property managers usually need from us is predictability:
- A maintenance schedule per building, with heating checks in fall, cooling checks in spring, and filters on whatever interval the building actually needs
- A clear approval path, so the technician knows who can say yes to a repair
- Written, flat-rate prices before work starts, so there are no surprise invoices
Tell us how you handle tenant access and notice, and we'll work within it. Scheduled visits for residential systems are covered on our maintenance page.
How much does commercial HVAC service cost?
A service call is a $79 trip charge, waived when you approve the repair. Once we find the problem, you get a written, flat-rate price before any work begins, and completed repairs carry a 1-year parts-and-labor warranty.
We don't publish commercial replacement or maintenance prices, because equipment size, roof access, crane needs and the number of units change the job too much from one building to the next. Replacements and maintenance schedules are quoted per building, in writing. Replacing mechanical equipment normally requires a city mechanical permit, which goes in the quote. Our permit guide covers the Minneapolis and Saint Paul side. Call 612-429-3465 to set up a service call.
What's included with commercial hvac?
- Rooftop unit diagnosis: gas heat, cooling, economizer and controls
- Commercial furnace and gas unit heater repair
- Ductless mini-splits for offices, server rooms and additions
- EPA Section 608 certified refrigerant handling
- Written, flat-rate price before work starts
- Scheduled maintenance for owners and property managers
- Written 1-year parts-and-labor warranty on completed repairs
Commercial HVAC questions
What size buildings do you work on?
Light commercial: storefronts, restaurants, offices, small retail centers, shops and multifamily buildings, where the equipment is packaged rooftop units, split systems, commercial furnaces, unit heaters and ductless systems. Large chilled-water plants and high-rise central systems are outside light-commercial work. If you're not sure where your building falls, call 612-429-3465 and describe the equipment.
Can you set up scheduled maintenance for our properties?
Yes. Most light-commercial equipment should be checked twice a year, with heating in fall and cooling in spring, and filters changed more often than that in restaurants and dusty shops. We quote the schedule per building, in writing, based on the equipment count and roof or mechanical room access. Tell us who approves repairs and how you want invoices handled.
Why is our restaurant's back door hard to open?
That's usually negative pressure. The kitchen hood exhausts a lot of air, and a make-up air unit is supposed to bring roughly the same amount back in, heated in winter. If the make-up air unit fails, or gets shut off to save on heat, the building pulls air through every gap, doors get hard to open, and water heater or furnace flues can backdraft. Have it checked before it becomes a carbon monoxide problem.
Can a mini-split cool a server room in winter?
Yes, if the equipment is chosen for it. A server room needs cooling all year, and a standard mini-split may not be rated to cool when it's well below freezing outside. Some models are built or kitted for low-ambient cooling. We size the unit to the heat the equipment gives off and confirm it can keep cooling in January as well as July.
Do you handle permits for commercial replacements?
Yes. Replacing a rooftop unit, furnace or other mechanical equipment normally requires a mechanical permit from the city. A rooftop replacement can also need a crane, a curb adapter if the new unit's footprint is different, and coordination with the building's roofer. We list the permit and those items in the written quote, so the price you approve is the price you pay.