Don’t Let Your HVAC System Ruin Thanksgiving in Orange County This Year

Published November 20, 2025

Thanksgiving is next week (November 27, 2025) and every single day between now and then our phones at J Martin Indoor Air Quality are blowing up with the exact same emergency:

Family is coming over, oven’s been running since 6am, 25 people crammed in a Yorba Linda or Anaheim Hills house, and the 15-year-old furnace or AC decides it’s the perfect time to die.

We’ve seen it in Villa Park, North Tustin, Orange Park Acres, Cowan Heights, and Brea more times than we can count. One year we did 11 emergency calls the day before Thanksgiving alone.

Here’s exactly how to make sure your home is ready — and what to do if it’s already too late.

The Thanksgiving HVAC Killers We See Every Single Year

1. Dirty filters that haven’t been changed since last Christmas

2. Furnaces that haven’t been tuned up in 5+ years finally giving up under constant heat

3. Condensate drains clogged from summer neglect (hello standing water and shutdowns)

4. Thermostats with dying batteries that randomly lose programming right when the turkey goes in

5. Outdoor units full of leaves, spider webs, and fall debris from those Santa Ana winds last month

Any one of these turns “Happy Thanksgiving” into “Everyone bundle up, the heat’s out.”

Your 15-Minute Pre-Thanksgiving Checklist (Do This Today)

1. Change your air filter right now A clogged filter is the #1 cause of emergency calls this week. If it looks gray, throw it out. We keep MERV-13 filters on the truck for every call.

2. Set your thermostat to “ON” (not “AUTO”) for the fan Keeps air circulating so the kitchen doesn’t hit 85° while the bedrooms stay cold.

3. Clear 2 feet around your outdoor unit Rake those leaves and palm fronds. Takes 3 minutes, prevents 90% of Black-Friday breakdowns.

4. Check your thermostat batteries Most Ecobee/Nest/Honeywell units chirp when low — but some just quietly fail. Swap them today.

5. Listen for weird noises Grinding, banging, or high-pitched squealing from the furnace or air handler? That’s your warning light. Call now while we still have same-day openings.

The Real Talk: If Your System Is 12+ Years Old, It’s on Borrowed Time

We’re replacing 2008–2013 systems all over Orange County right now because of the R-410A phase-out. If that’s you, Thanksgiving stress is the perfect excuse to finally pull the trigger on a heat pump before spring prices hit.

A new variable-speed heat pump installed this week means:

• Even temperatures no matter how many people are in the house

• No gas smell when the oven and furnace compete

• Lower electric bill even with the house packed

• Current rebates still at all-time highs (up to $8,000+ stackable)

We still have install slots Monday–Wednesday next week for Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, Orange, Brea, Placentia, North Tustin, and Irvine.

If the Worst Happens the Day Before Thanksgiving

We’ve got you. Our family has been answering the phone on Thanksgiving morning since 2014. If your heat goes out while the turkey’s in the oven, call (714) 462-5712 , we’ll be there fast. No holiday premiums, no excuses.

Last year we saved Thanksgiving dinner in Cowan Heights at 9pm the night before — new capacitor, system back online in 38 minutes. Family still talks about it.

Don’t wait until the house is full and the furnace is dead.

Take 15 minutes today and check those 5 items. Or let us do it for you — we’re running pre-holiday comfort checks all week with same-day appointments.

Call or text (714) 462-5712 right now and tell us “Thanksgiving Check” — we’ll get you on the schedule today.

Have a warm, stress-free Thanksgiving from all of us here.

J Martin Indoor Air Quality 4212 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807 Monday–Friday 7am–6pm, Saturday 8am–2pm (emergencies anytime – family answers the phone) Serving Orange County Since 2014 | Family Owned | 5,000+ Happy Customers | 4.97 Star Rated jmartiniaq.com