Eichler Radiant Heating Repair & Upgrades in Palo Alto
Palo Alto has some of the best-known Eichler neighborhoods in the country, and most were built with radiant heat in the slab. We keep those systems running, find leaks, and help you plan what comes next.
Call 650-460-3483438 Cambridge Ave, 94306
Eichler radiant heating circulates warm water through pipes embedded in the concrete slab. In Palo Alto’s Greenmeadow, Fairmeadow and other Eichler tracts, original steel or copper pipes are now 65 to 70 years old. ComfortFlow repairs boilers and pumps, tests for slab leaks, and designs upgrades: a new boiler or air-to-water heat pump, or ductless heat pumps to add cooling.
How Eichler radiant heat works
Joseph Eichler’s homes put the heat in the floor. A boiler or water heater warms water, a circulator pump pushes it through a loop of pipe buried in the concrete slab, and the whole floor becomes a gentle radiator. It’s quiet, dust-free and beautifully even, which is why many owners fight to keep it.
The weak point is age. Original systems used steel or copper pipe, and decades of corrosion, slab movement and water chemistry lead to leaks. Greenmeadow alone has roughly 300 Eichlers built between 1954 and 1957, and Fairmeadow’s “Circles” date to the same era.
Signs your radiant system needs service
- Floors that feel cool in some rooms and warm in others
- The boiler pressure gauge keeps dropping, or you add water often
- Warm spots on the floor that stay warm when the heat is off
- A higher water bill with no explanation
- Gurgling or banging in the pipes
- The boiler short cycles or won’t light
Our radiant services
Boiler and pump repair
We service the heat source and circulators, replace failed pumps, zone valves, expansion tanks and controls, and check combustion safety on gas boilers.
Leak diagnosis
Pressure testing isolates which loop is losing water, and thermal imaging helps locate the leak in the slab. Then we talk about whether a spot repair makes sense.
Re-piping options
When the slab loops are failing, the choices are abandoning the slab loops in favor of overhead or wall-mounted radiant panels, low-profile overlays, or switching the house to forced air or ductless. Each has trade-offs in cost, disruption and comfort, and we’ll walk through them honestly.
Heat pump conversion
An air-to-water heat pump can replace a gas boiler and feed a healthy radiant system. Alternatively, ductless heat pumps can take over heating and add cooling, letting you retire a failing slab system entirely. See ductless mini-splits and heat pumps.
Adding cooling to an Eichler
Eichlers have big glass walls and little attic space, so they heat up fast on summer afternoons. Ductless mini-splits are the most common answer. We plan head placement around the post-and-beam ceilings and route line sets to respect the exterior design. Our guide Eichler radiant heat: repair or replace goes deeper.
Eichler heating and cooling options compared
| Option | Keeps radiant comfort | Adds cooling | Disruption | Fits when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repair boiler, pumps, controls | Yes | No | Low | Slab loops hold pressure |
| Air-to-water heat pump | Yes | Some systems | Moderate | Loops healthy, want to drop gas |
| Ductless heat pumps alongside radiant | Yes | Yes | Low to moderate | Want summer cooling |
| Ductless heat pumps replacing radiant | No | Yes | Low to moderate | Slab loops failing |
| Overhead or wall radiant panels | Similar | No | Moderate to high | Want radiant feel, loops failing |
Why Palo Alto homeowners choose ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto for Eichler radiant heating
ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto has served Palo Alto homes for over 10 years from our shop at 438 Cambridge Ave. Eichler systems are a specialty: we work in Greenmeadow, Fairmeadow and Monta Loma, diagnose slab loops before recommending anything, and plan every upgrade around post-and-beam architecture.
- Diagnosis before recommendations. We measure first, then explain what we found in plain language.
- Repair prices up front. You see the cost before any work begins, and replacement only comes up when it makes sense.
- Local know-how. CPAU rebates, the City heat pump instant permit, Eichler radiant systems and Palo Alto’s older housing stock.
- Respect for your home. Drop cloths, protected floors and trim, and a clean work area at the end of every day.
Eichler Radiant Heating, step by step
- Listen and testPressure test, boiler check and a walk across every floor.
- LocateIsolate the failing loop and use thermal imaging.
- OptionsRepair, re-pipe, or convert, with honest trade-offs.
- Comfort planHeating and, if you want it, cooling that fits the architecture.
Often paired with eichler radiant heating
Eichler Radiant Heating across Palo Alto and nearby
We’re based at 438 Cambridge Ave and work in every Palo Alto neighborhood. Local notes for each area:
New to us? Start with our overview of HVAC in Palo Alto.
Eichler Radiant Heating questions,
answered.
Answers from the ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto team about eichler radiant heating in Palo Alto homes.
Can Eichler radiant heat be repaired?
Often, yes. Boilers, pumps and controls are routine repairs. Slab pipe leaks can sometimes be spot repaired, but widespread corrosion usually means a different approach for some or all of the house. The first step is a full system check: boiler, pumps, expansion tank, controls and a pressure test of each loop. Many “broken radiant” calls turn out to be a failed circulator pump or zone valve, which are straightforward fixes. ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto explains what is failing and what each repair path costs before any work begins.
How do I know if my slab pipes are leaking?
A pressure gauge that keeps falling, frequent need to add water, warm spots that stay warm when the heat is off, and unexplained water use are the classic signs. A pressure test confirms it. A pressure test isolates each loop so we can tell which section is losing water. Thermal imaging then helps locate warm spots in the slab. Leaks waste water, raise bills and can damage flooring over time, so it is worth diagnosing early, even if the house still feels warm.
Can I add air conditioning to my Eichler?
Yes. Ductless mini-splits are the most common choice because Eichlers have little or no attic space for ducts. Ductless heads can be placed on walls between beams or in slim ducted units hidden in soffits. We route line sets to respect the siding and roofline, which matters in historic Eichler tracts like Greenmeadow. Adding ductless cooling also gives you a backup heat source if the radiant system ever needs repair.
Can a heat pump power radiant floors?
Yes, an air-to-water heat pump can heat the water for a radiant system, as long as the loops are in good shape and the system is designed for lower water temperatures. Air-to-water heat pumps heat water instead of air, which makes them a natural match for radiant floors. They work best with healthy loops and good controls. Replacing a gas boiler this way can qualify for the CPAU Heat Pump HVAC rebate, and ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto confirms eligibility before you commit.
Do you work in Greenmeadow and Fairmeadow?
Yes. See our Greenmeadow and Fairmeadow pages for neighborhood-specific notes. Both tracts have similar original radiant systems, so the issues we see are similar too: aging boilers, failing circulator pumps, slab loop leaks and a strong desire for summer cooling. We also work in Eichler homes in Mountain View’s Monta Loma neighborhood and across south Palo Alto.
Let’s make home
feel better.
Tell ComfortFlow HVAC Palo Alto what’s happening with your heating or cooling, and we’ll start with the right questions. Serving Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Los Altos, Stanford and the Peninsula.