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Air Conditioning Replacement & Installation
Replacing an air conditioner is a bigger decision than replacing most equipment in a house, because the unit you choose sets your comfort and your running costs for the next fifteen to twenty years. This page covers when replacement genuinely beats repair, whether a straight air conditioner is still the right choice in this climate, and what the work actually involves across Seattle and the Greater Eastside.
QUICK ANSWER
Most air conditioners are worth replacing at fifteen to twenty years, or sooner if the compressor fails or the system still uses R-22 refrigerant. In the Pacific Northwest the replacement worth considering is often a heat pump rather than a like-for-like air conditioner, because it cools the same and heats as well. NW Mechanical has been sizing and installing systems across Seattle and the Eastside since 1977. We quote flat-rate and we pull the permits. Call (206) 900-9231.
Repair or Replace? How to Decide
There is no single age at which a system becomes disposable. These are the factors that actually move the decision, and we will walk through them with you rather than reaching for the replacement quote first.
| Repair is usually the better value when… | Replacement is usually the better value when… |
|---|---|
| The system is under twelve years old and has been maintained | The system is past fifteen years and the repairs are stacking up |
| The fault is a capacitor, contactor, fan motor or control board | The compressor has failed, which is most of the value of the unit |
| Refrigerant charge is correct and the coil is sound | It runs on R-22, which is no longer produced and expensive to top up |
| The repair costs a small fraction of a new system | The repair approaches a third or more of replacement cost |
| Your ductwork and electrical are already in good shape | You are also adding heating, or the furnace is near end of life too |
A useful rule, not a law: multiply the repair cost by the age of the system. If that number comfortably exceeds the cost of a new system, replace it. If it does not, repair it. We are happy to do the repair — see AC repair — and we would rather fix a good system than sell you a new one.
AC or Heat Pump?
An air conditioner and an air-source heat pump are close to the same machine. The heat pump can also run in reverse and heat the house. When a Seattle or Eastside home is already replacing outdoor equipment and already has ductwork, the incremental cost of choosing a heat pump is usually modest, and it buys you a second function.
That matters more here than it does in most of the country. Our cooling season is short and our heating season is long, so a machine that only earns its keep in July and August is doing far less work than one that also carries the shoulder seasons. Utility incentives have moved the same way, favouring high-efficiency heat pumps over cooling-only equipment. If you would rather keep the gas furnace for the coldest weeks and use the heat pump the rest of the year, that dual-fuel arrangement works well and we install it regularly.
None of which makes an air conditioner the wrong answer. If you have a newer furnace with years left, no interest in changing how you heat, and you simply want the house cool in summer, a straight AC replacement is cheaper and perfectly sensible. We will tell you which case you are in. See also heating services and ductless heat pumps if the house has no ductwork to work with.
What a Good Replacement Buys
Right-sized equipment
Sized to your house with a load calculation, not by copying the sticker on the old unit. Oversizing is the most common fault we find.
Heating included, if you want it
Choosing a heat pump over a cooling-only unit gives you both functions from the same outdoor equipment.
Lower running cost
Modern variable-capacity systems modulate instead of cycling hard on and off, which uses less power for the same comfort.
A quieter house
Current outdoor units run far quieter than equipment from the 2000s, which matters on tight Seattle lots and shared Eastside property lines.
A one-day changeout, usually
A straight equipment swap is typically a single day. Adding ductwork, electrical or a new pad extends it.
Warranty registered properly
Manufacturer warranties require correct installation and registration. We handle the paperwork rather than leaving it to you.
Sizing Is Most of the Job
The single biggest difference between a replacement that works and one that disappoints is whether the system was sized for the house. The tempting shortcut is to match whatever was there before, but the old unit may itself have been guessed at, and the house may have changed — new windows, added insulation, a converted attic, an extension.
An oversized air conditioner cools the air quickly, satisfies the thermostat, and shuts off before it has removed much moisture. You get a house that is cold and clammy, with short-cycling that wears the compressor and wastes power. An undersized one runs continuously on the handful of genuinely hot days and never quite gets there. We do a load calculation that accounts for orientation, glazing, insulation, air sealing and the actual layout, and we size to that.
What We Run Into Locally
Older Seattle housing stock
Much of Seattle’s pre-war and mid-century housing was never built with cooling in mind, and in many cases never had proper ductwork either. Where ducts exist they are often undersized for the airflow a modern system wants. Replacing the outdoor unit without checking the duct system is how people end up disappointed by new equipment. If the ducts cannot carry it, ductless is frequently the better path.
Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond
Homes across the central Eastside are usually already forced-air and already ducted, which makes them the most straightforward replacements we do — and the best candidates for converting to a heat pump at the same time, since the distribution system is already there.
Sammamish and Issaquah
Housing built through the 1990s and 2000s came with builder-specified equipment that is now reaching the end of its service life, often all at once across a neighbourhood. These systems are generally well ducted and straightforward to upgrade.
Mercer Island and the Points
Larger, individually built houses with additions tend to have zoning problems rather than capacity problems. A single replacement unit sometimes is not the answer; the honest recommendation may be zoning, or adding ductless heads to the rooms that have never behaved.
Woodinville, Bothell, Newcastle
Wooded lots mean the outdoor unit needs siting where falling debris will not choke the coil, and where service access stays clear. On the steeper Newcastle hillsides, placement is often the hardest part of the job rather than the equipment itself.
When we will tell you not to replace. If your system is twelve years old, well maintained and has a repairable fault, we will quote the repair and say so plainly. Replacing working equipment early rarely pays for itself, whatever the efficiency figures suggest.
How can we help you?
What the Work Involves
| Site visit | We measure the house, look at the ductwork, the electrical panel and where the outdoor unit can sit, then run the load calculation. |
| Written quote | Flat-rate and itemised, with the equipment specified by model. No pressure to decide on the spot, and the quote holds. |
| Permits | Pulled by us through your city’s building department. Electrical work is permitted separately. |
| Changeout | Old equipment removed and disposed of, new equipment set, lines and electrical connected. Usually a single day. |
| Commissioning | Refrigerant charge verified, airflow measured, controls configured, and we walk you through operating it. |
| Registration | Manufacturer warranty registered in your name so the coverage actually stands. |
Permits and Rebates
Permits are issued by your city
Seattle handles mechanical permits through the Department of Construction and Inspections; Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Newcastle and Mercer Island each run their own. Equipment replacements generally require one, and the associated electrical work is permitted separately. We pull them.
Your utility decides your rebate
Seattle City Light serves the city and Puget Sound Energy covers the Eastside, and their incentives are not the same. Programs have generally favoured high-efficiency heat pumps over cooling-only equipment, and terms change — confirm what is current before you commit, and we can point you at the right program.
What It Costs
A replacement price depends on the equipment tier, whether you are staying with cooling only or moving to a heat pump, the condition of the existing ductwork, and how much electrical work the new unit needs. A house that already has sound ducts and adequate panel capacity is at the straightforward end. A house that needs duct repairs, a panel upgrade or a new pad and disconnect is not.
That is why we quote after a site visit rather than over the phone. What we can promise is that the quote is flat-rate and itemised, so you can see what each part of the job costs, and that it holds. If financing would make the timing easier, we can walk you through the options.
After the Install
New equipment still needs annual attention, and most manufacturer warranties require it. An annual service checks refrigerant charge, coil condition, airflow and electrical connections, and catches the small faults before they become the call-out on the hottest day of the year. Our maintenance plan covers it on a schedule. Between visits, changing the filter on time does more for the system than anything else you can do yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should an air conditioner last?
Fifteen to twenty years is typical with annual maintenance. Systems that have never been serviced often fall short of that, and coastal or heavily wooded sites can be harder on outdoor coils.
My system uses R-22. Do I have to replace it?
Not immediately, but the economics get worse every year. R-22 is no longer produced, so any leak repair means paying a rising price for reclaimed refrigerant. If an R-22 system needs significant work, replacement is usually the better spend.
Can I just replace the outdoor unit?
Rarely a good idea. The outdoor and indoor coils are matched as a system, and pairing new outdoor equipment with an old indoor coil costs you efficiency, can void the warranty, and often will not perform as rated.
How long does the work take?
Most straight changeouts finish in a day. Adding ductwork, upgrading electrical, relocating the outdoor unit or converting to a heat pump can take two.
Do I need a permit?
Yes, in practice. Equipment replacements generally require a mechanical permit from your city, with electrical permitted separately. We pull both rather than leaving it to you.
Which brands do you install?
We are a Mitsubishi dealer and install their equipment as standard. Where another manufacturer suits your house better, we will say so.
Do you do commercial replacements?
Yes — offices, retail units, server rooms and workshops. After-hours access and tenant disruption are usually the deciding factors rather than the equipment.
Licensed, Bonded and Insured
Each licence can be looked up individually on the Washington State L&I contractor register.
Get a Replacement Quote
Serving Seattle and the Greater Eastside since 1977. We will size the system to your house, tell you honestly whether replacement is the right call yet, and quote it flat-rate.
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