AC Repair in Centralia, WA
If your air conditioner quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lewis County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Centralia doesn't ask much of an air conditioner
Summer afternoons here average 72 degrees. That's mild enough that a lot of homes get by without cooling much at all, and some units barely run for weeks at a time.
That has its own downside. An air conditioner that sits idle for long stretches can seize up or leak refrigerant slowly without anyone noticing, since nobody's turned it on to find out. When the first warm week finally hits and you switch it on, that's when a weak capacitor or a stuck contactor shows itself, not during the mild stretch that came before it.
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Lewis County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Lewis County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Washington fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when a part like a capacitor or contactor has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the compressor has failed or the system uses R-22 refrigerant, which is no longer made.
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
Registration puts the business on file with the Department of Labor and Industries and shows they carry the required bond and insurance. It is not a trade test. Nobody at the state checks that the contractor knows how to fix an air conditioner before they hand out that number.
For this job, the protection that actually speaks to the work is federal. Anyone who opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, to add refrigerant or fix a leak, has to hold an EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule holds in Lewis County the same as anywhere else in the country.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter cutting off airflow across the coil, so check that first. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that's not something to top off yourself since anyone working on the refrigerant side has to hold EPA certification. A failing compressor or a frozen coil can also leave you with air that just isn't cold. A contractor can tell you which one it is once they get a gauge set on the system.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually it's a clogged condensate drain line, where algae or dirt blocks the path the water normally takes outside and it backs up into the house instead. A dirty air filter can also cause this, since restricted airflow lets the coil ice up, and then the water shows up when it melts. Less often, the drain pan itself has rusted through or cracked. A contractor can clear the line or check the pan depending on where the water is coming from.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat, since dead batteries or a setting bumped to the wrong mode will stop the system before it even tries to run. If that's not it, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker or a blown fuse will cut power to the unit entirely. Given that summer afternoons here only average around 72°F, it's also worth checking whether the thermostat is even calling for cooling. If power and settings both check out, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, and a contractor will need to look at it directly.