AC Repair in Tacoma, WA
If your air conditioner quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Pierce County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Tacoma summers don't ask much of an air conditioner
Summer afternoons here average 70°F, and most homes get by without cooling most of the year. That's a light load compared to what an AC unit handles in hotter parts of the country.
When something does go wrong with your air conditioner in Pierce County, it's rarely because the heat wore it down. More often it's a unit that sat unused for months and something inside it, a capacitor, a contactor, a low refrigerant charge, didn't hold up in the meantime. You notice it on the first warm day, when you turn it on and it doesn't cool the way it should.
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Pierce County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Pierce 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 puts the business on file with the Department of Labor and Industries. It is a record that the business exists and registered to work in the state, not a test of anyone's skill at repairing an air conditioner. There is no trade exam behind it and no state license.
For this job, the thing that actually stands behind the work is federal. Anyone who opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, to recover it, recharge it, or fix a leak, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule applies the same in every state.
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 line set or coil. A dirty air filter or a coil coated in dust can also block airflow enough that the air coming out feels warm. Anyone who checks or adds refrigerant has to hold EPA 608 certification, since that work means opening the sealed side of the system.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around the unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. The line carries away the water that condenses on the cold coil, and when it backs up, that water has nowhere to go but out onto the floor or through the ceiling below. A dirty air filter can also cause the coil to ice over, and the water shows up once that ice melts.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker for the outdoor unit, since both are easy to miss and both will stop the system cold. If those check out, the problem is likely in the electrical components inside the unit itself, and that calls for a contractor to test it. A system that has not run in a while can also be slow to start, so if this is the first hot stretch you have used it, that is worth mentioning to whoever comes out.