Heat Pump Repair
in Elma, WA
A heat pump that stops heating in January is a different kind of problem from a furnace that quits. It is doing something, just not the right thing. The fan spins, the outdoor unit hums, and the house still sits at 61 degrees.
We are Hanson Heating & Cooling, a family-owned contractor working out of Elma across Grays Harbor, Thurston, Mason and Lewis counties. We are fully licensed, bonded and insured (License #HANSOMS824KQ), with EPA Section 608-certified technicians, and we have been in business since 2018. Heat pumps are most of what we touch in this region, ducted and ductless both.
What Our Customers Say
★★★★★
"Call yesterday and let them know my heat pump was not making cold air. They were out today and quickly diagnosed issue, replaced the faulty parts and had it up and running. No nonsense, quality techs"
Paul S., Google review
★★★★★
"The team at Hanson Heating and Cooling were awesome. They provided excellent service. Prompt response time. Were extremely knowledgeable and provided honest feedback that actually SAVED US MONEY down the road. It is rare these days to have a company NOT sell you something. I cannot recommend Hanson Heating and Cooling enough!"
Cristin W., Google review
★★★★★
"Had new furnace and heat pump installed for a 2700 sq ft. House. They walked me through all the options without overloading me on information. Job was done quickly and efficiently. Very knowledgeable from their years of experience!"
David J., Google review
Certified Technicians Who Work On Heat Pumps Every Week
Refrigerant work is regulated. Under EPA Section 608, anyone opening a sealed refrigerant circuit has to be certified to do it, and our technicians are. That matters more than it sounds. A heat pump diagnosed by guesswork gets a refrigerant top up it did not need, and the real fault, usually a leak or a failing reversing valve, comes back in six weeks.
We are an authorized dealer for Trane and Mitsubishi, and we service Hisense, Daikin and Bosch systems along with anything else already installed in your home. We did not have to sell you the unit to fix it properly.
Symptoms That Bring People To Us
- The system runs constantly but never reaches the thermostat setting
- The outdoor unit ices over and stays iced, well past a normal defrost cycle
- Short cycling, where the compressor kicks on and off every few minutes
- Grinding, screeching or a hard rattle from the outdoor unit
- The system blows cold air when it is set to heat, or the reverse
- Weak airflow at the registers or from a wall head
- A ductless zone that has quit while the others still work
- Rising power bills with no change in how you use the system
The Coastal Problem Nobody Warns You About
Here is the local piece. Grays Harbor sits close enough to salt air that outdoor coils corrode faster here than they do 60 miles inland. We pull apart units in Aberdeen and Montesano that look fine from the outside and have fin damage and galvanic corrosion at the coil.
Add persistent damp. Outdoor units set directly on soil or gravel that stays wet all winter suffer base pan rust and drainage problems, which is one reason defrost cycles fail. We raise units on pads for a reason.
So how do you know if that is your issue, or a mechanical fault? You mostly cannot from the house. That is what the diagnostic is for.
What Our Repair Visit Actually Includes
Full system diagnostic. We check refrigerant pressures against the manufacturer's spec, test the reversing valve and defrost board, read compressor and fan motor amp draw, verify the thermostat is calling correctly, and inspect the coils inside and out.
Leak detection before recharging. If pressures are low, there is a leak. We find it. Adding refrigerant without finding the leak is the most common shortcut in this trade, and we do not do it.
Repair on the visit where we can. Our vans stock capacitors, contactors, defrost boards, fan motors and common control parts, so most calls end the same day.
Performance testing. We confirm the temperature split across the coil and check the defrost cycle completes properly before we leave.
Straight talk about what we found. We show you the part, tell you why it failed, and give you the cost before we do anything.
Heat Pump Service for Homes Without Ductwork
Plenty of homes around Elma and McCleary have no ducts at all, so they run ductless mini splits with two, four or eight indoor heads. Those systems fail differently. One zone going cold while the rest keep working usually points at that head's expansion valve, a blocked condensate line, or a communication fault on the control wiring rather than anything wrong with the outdoor unit.
We troubleshoot multi zone systems head by head. If you are weighing adding a zone or replacing an aging system, our page on ductless mini split installation covers how the sizing works.
Transparent Pricing and Advice That Is Not a Sales Pitch
You get the repair price before the work starts. The variables are the failed part, whether the system is single stage or inverter driven, and refrigerant type. Older R-22 systems are the awkward case, because that refrigerant is phased out and the cost per pound has climbed steeply. On an R-22 system with a leak, we will usually tell you that repair money is better spent on heat pump installation instead. New systems we install come backed by a 10-year parts warranty and a 1-year labor warranty, and we offer financing options.
Is a repair still worth it on a twelve year old unit? Often yes, if it is one component and the compressor is healthy. Compressor failure at that age is where the maths changes.
Preventative Service Keeps Heat Pumps Out of Trouble
Heat pumps run year round here, heating in winter and cooling in summer, so they log far more hours than a furnace does. Annual service is not optional maintenance on a machine working that hard, and most manufacturers require documented service to keep the parts warranty valid.
Our HVAC maintenance visits and Comfort Plans cover coil cleaning, refrigerant verification, electrical connections and defrost testing. If your ducted system has leaks losing conditioned air into a crawlspace, ductwork repair does more for comfort than any adjustment at the unit.
Heat Pump Repair Questions
Why is my heat pump blowing cold air in heating mode?
Usually a stuck reversing valve, a failed defrost control, or a refrigerant charge problem. A short burst of cool air during a defrost cycle is normal. Sustained cold air is not.
How long does a heat pump repair take?
Most single fault repairs finish in one visit, generally an hour to two hours on site. Special order parts on older or less common systems add lead time, and we tell you that up front.
Do you repair ductless mini splits as well as ducted heat pumps?
Yes. We repair both, including multi zone ductless systems with several indoor heads, whoever installed them.
Is my outdoor unit icing up a problem?
A thin layer of frost that clears on its own is normal. A unit encased in ice, or one that never clears, points at a defrost fault, low refrigerant or restricted airflow, and it needs a visit.
How quickly can you get out to look at my heat pump?
Often the same day or the next, depending on the season. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and morning calls get the widest choice of slots.
Call Hanson Heating & Cooling for heat pump repair in Elma, WA
Book a Heat Pump Repair in Elma
We work Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and we are closed weekends. Calling early in the day gives you the best shot at a same day visit.
Visits to 516 W Eaton St in Elma are by appointment only. Call (360) 470-3993 or get in touch with our team. We cover Elma, Montesano, Aberdeen, McCleary, Shelton and the wider Grays Harbor, Thurston, Mason and Lewis county area.