HVAC in Petaluma

Petaluma at a glance

Petaluma is a city of 59,776 (2020) about 32 miles north of San Francisco, covering 14.5 square miles in southern Sonoma County. Its name comes from the Miwok village of Péta Lúuma, on the east bank of the Petaluma River.

What that means for your heating and cooling

Petaluma has a large stock of older homes near its historic core, many built long before central heating and air. Older houses often have floor furnaces, wall heaters or ducts added later, which makes a ductless mini-split a common upgrade.

Closer to the bay

Southern Sonoma County sits nearer San Pablo Bay, and cooler, breezier air reaches it more often than Santa Rosa. Many homes here need heat on more mornings, while still seeing hot spells inland that need cooling. Older homes near the river may have damp crawl spaces, which affects ducts and indoor air.

Vallejo's rancho

Petaluma grew out of Rancho Petaluma, a 66,000-acre Mexican land grant made in 1834 to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who began building his Rancho Petaluma Adobe nearby in 1836. Homes from many eras now line the city's streets, and older ones often have mixed systems added over decades. A careful yearly check helps keep older equipment and venting safe.