AC Repair in Seattle, WA
About a third of ac repair calls in Seattle turn out to be something the homeowner could fix in 10 minutes with a $12 part. We'll tell you which third. Plain-spoken estimates, written quotes, no surprise add-ons mid-job. That's the whole pitch.
What you're paying for
Most AC repair calls come down to one of six causes: low refrigerant from a slow leak, failed capacitor, failed contactor, dirty condenser coil, blower motor failure, or compressor failure.
The diagnostic determines which. We run refrigerant pressures (high and low side), superheat/subcool calculation, voltage at the contactor, capacitor microfarads, and a temperature-split test on the supply and return.
About 60% of summer no-cool calls turn out to be one of three things: low refrigerant ($240-$650 to find and seal the leak, plus refrigerant), bad capacitor ($165-$325 to replace), or dirty condenser ($95-$195 to clean).
Compressor failures are the expensive ones — $1,800 to $3,800 typically. On any unit over 10 years old, we walk through the math on repair vs. replace before quoting the compressor swap.
AC Repair in Seattle — what's typical here
If you're inside the city limits, we're typically there inside an hour during business hours. Outside the metro, plan on a bit longer.
That said, newer construction in Seattle has its own set of typical issues. We see both.
From the books — a recent Seattle job
Last spring we got a call from a homeowner near the south Seattle. Ac short-cycling every 4 minutes. Diagnosis: refrigerant overcharge from a previous home-warranty repair. We recovered excess charge, recommissioned to manufacturer spec, ran the test, and were out the door in in one trip. Total: $1812 including parts.
Pricing
For ac repair jobs in the Seattle area:
- Diagnostic visit: $110 – $160
- Capacitor replacement: $205 – $405
- Refrigerant leak find + seal + recharge: $300 – $810
- Condenser coil cleaning: $120 – $245
- Contactor replacement: $230 – $425
- Blower motor replacement: $525 – $1,100
- Compressor replacement: $2,250 – $4,750
Related work
- Furnace & Heating Repair in Seattle
- Mini-Split & Ductless Systems in Seattle
- AC Installation & Replacement in Seattle
- AC Maintenance & Tune-Ups in Seattle
- Ductwork Cleaning, Sealing & Repair in Seattle