Seattle heating and cooling work should begin with measured symptoms, equipment condition, airflow and building needs. A failed component may support repair; repeated major failures, incompatible equipment or a documented comfort plan may support replacement. Seattle SDCI publishes mechanical permit and inspection guidance for heat pumps and air-conditioning work, while City Light publishes current incentive eligibility. Require diagnosis before finance options and verify the Washington contractor.
Repair when the failed component and cause are confirmed, the remaining system is serviceable and the correction can be tested. Consider replacement when major failures recur, equipment is incompatible with required loads, or a documented whole-system plan supports it. Compare both scopes, permits, electrical work and commissioning.
Ask what failed, what tests support the conclusion and why the failure occurred. Record model, condition and affected operation. A component repair should not become replacement merely because the equipment is older, and replacement should not proceed without sizing and system evidence.
Comfort complaints can come from leakage, restrictions, poor returns, damaged ducts or controls. Ask what was inspected and measured. Larger equipment does not correct a weak distribution system. The proposal should separate duct repair, sealing or alteration from the equipment total.
Ducted, ductless and hybrid approaches solve different layouts. Define rooms served, door-closed conditions, outdoor-unit location, line routes and noise-sensitive areas. If envelope improvements are planned, coordinate them before final sizing so the equipment is not designed around avoidable loads.
Heat pumps and cooling need dedicated electrical work. Have a licensed electrical contractor confirm the required circuit and any panel or service recommendation. Ask for the load basis and separate electrical price. An HVAC salesperson should not obscure the legal electrical contractor responsible for permits and inspection.
SDCI's furnace and refrigeration guidance says heat pumps, air conditioners and related work may require mechanical permits and inspections through the Seattle Services Portal. The contract should name permit holder, electrical permit responsibility and inspection coordination.
Use Washington L&I to match the legal contracting business, registration, bond and insurance information. Verify electrical professionals separately when electrical work is involved. Refrigerant and manufacturer requirements should be assigned to qualified personnel without vague claims about credentials.
Seattle City Light publishes current heat-pump and home-energy programs with eligibility requirements. Ask which equipment, customer and contractor conditions apply and who submits documentation. Do not subtract a rebate from project cost until current eligibility is confirmed.
Closeout should record startup measurements, airflow or control settings appropriate to the system, thermostat operation, filter details, equipment and serial information, permits, warranties and maintenance instructions. Test heating, cooling and condensate management with the owner.
Separate diagnosis, repair, equipment, ducts, electrical work, permits, controls, access, restoration and commissioning. Use property-specific loads and routes. Remove unsupported Seattle price and schedule claims; the documented system and building determine the project.
Describe your project once and we help connect your request with relevant local contractors who serve your area. The request is free, there is no obligation to hire, and you decide whether anyone is right for the job.
SDCI publishes permit and inspection guidance for heat pumps, air conditioners and furnace or refrigeration work.
Incentives and HomeWise eligibility are published by City Light and should be verified before contracting.
L&I's Verify tool shows registration, bond, insurance and available enforcement information.
| The heating you have | The realistic route to heating and cooling | What it drags in with it |
|---|---|---|
| Gravity furnace with oversized original trunks | Ducted heat pump if the trunks can be reused | Duct survey first, and often partial replacement |
| Hydronic radiators or an old boiler | Ductless heads, boiler left in place | Deciding which rooms genuinely need a head |
| Electric baseboard or wall heaters throughout | Ductless, one or more heads | Panel capacity and a new dedicated circuit |
| Forced-air furnace with sound modern ducts | Add a compressor and coil, or swap to a heat pump | Checking the ducts can carry cooling airflow |
| No central system at all, room heaters only | Ductless, planned room by room | Where the outdoor unit sits on a tight lot |
| Unfinished attic or basement being converted | A head or a zone sized to the new space | Insulation and glazing before any equipment sizing |
Separate repair, equipment, distribution, electrical, permits, access, controls and commissioning. Remove unsupported local pricing and assumptions about panel size or duct condition. Ask for measured findings, current incentive eligibility and a written closeout package.
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.
Describe the equipment, symptoms, rooms and comfort goals. We can connect you with contractors prepared to explain repair and replacement evidence.
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