Get HVAC repair in Seattle, WA from someone who has seen your house before

Probably not. A heat pump delivers air at a lower temperature than a gas furnace does, so it feels cool against the hand while still warming the room, and in damp weather near freezing it runs periodic defrost cycles that briefly feel like cold air. The signs that something is genuinely wrong are the house losing temperature, the backup heat running constantly, or ice that does not clear after a cycle.

Fewer than most people expect, and the honest answer depends on the layout rather than the floor area. Open-plan ground floors are often served well by one well-placed head, while separate bedrooms behind closed doors each need their own if you want them conditioned. A contractor should walk the house and talk you through which rooms genuinely warrant a head, since every additional one adds cost and another unit on the wall.

Modern cold-climate units are designed for exactly this sort of mild, damp winter and hold their output well through it. The usual arrangement keeps some form of backup for the coldest stretches, whether that is electric resistance, an existing furnace or a boiler you leave in place. In an old house the bigger determinant of comfort is often the envelope, so insulation and draught-proofing frequently do more per pound spent than a larger machine.

Sometimes, and it is much better to find out before the equipment arrives. A single ductless head is a comparatively light load that many existing services can accommodate. A whole-house system, particularly alongside car charging or an electric hob, often will not fit on a sixty or hundred amp service. Ask the contractor to check the panel and the existing load during the site visit and to price the electrical work as its own line.

Weigh the cost of the repair against the remaining life and the running cost of what you have. One moderate repair on a system with years left is generally worth doing. A major component failure on equipment near the end of its life generally is not, particularly if you are also being told the ducts need attention. Ask for both figures side by side and make the decision with them in front of you rather than in the middle of a cold week.

Yes, and you do not have to give up the radiators. Adding ductless heads for cooling and shoulder-season heating while leaving hydronic heating in place is a common and sensible arrangement in this city. It avoids the disruption of ripping out a system that still works and gives you cooling, which the boiler was never going to provide.

Nothing at any point. Describing the problem is free, hearing back from heating and cooling contractors is free, and we take no fee if you go ahead and hire one of them. Your only financial relationship is with the contractor you pick, for the work they carry out.

Two to four as a rule, selected by a person for the kind of system you have described and for whether they genuinely work in your part of the city. The request is not resold to anyone, and your details do not go onto a list.