AC Repair in Ellensburg, WA
If your air conditioner quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Kittitas County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ellensburg doesn't ask much of your air conditioner
Summer afternoons here average 75°F, which is mild as far as your AC is concerned. It isn't running long hours against real heat, so the wear that comes from a compressor working hard day after day just isn't part of life here.
What does show up is weather. Kittitas County has seen damaging wind and hail over the past ten years, and a unit sitting outside takes the hit directly. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil or rock the unit on its pad, and hail can dent the cabinet or damage the fan. If your AC ran fine last season and now trips off or makes noise it didn't before, a storm is a reasonable place to start looking.
- 75°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 1 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 3 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Kittitas County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Kittitas 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.
That registration is a business record with Labor and Industries. It means the business is on file with the state. It does not mean a trade exam stands behind it, and there is no state license here to point to.
For an air conditioner repair, the check that matters is federal, not state. Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your system, to add refrigerant or fix a leak, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That rule holds in every state, including this one, and it exists whether or not the business is registered with Washington.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is low refrigerant from a leak somewhere in the coil or line set. A dirty air filter or a frozen evaporator coil will also cut cold air even when the system runs fine otherwise. Since summer afternoons here average around 75°F, a struggling AC often still keeps up enough that the problem goes unnoticed until a hot stretch hits. Only a technician with EPA Section 608 certification can legally open the refrigerant side to check for a leak and recharge it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water on the floor near your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dust build up inside that line over time and block the water from draining outside, so it backs up and spills over the drain pan instead. A frozen evaporator coil can cause the same thing once it thaws. Either way, a contractor can clear the line or find what is actually blocking it.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power, the batteries are good if it uses them, and it is set to cool below the room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, the problem is likely a tripped breaker, a blown fuse, or a bad capacitor that keeps the compressor from starting. A contractor can test the electrical side and tell you which part failed.