AC & heat pump
AC Keeps Tripping the Breaker? Stop Resetting and Read This First
One trip is an event; repeated trips are a message. Weak capacitors, seized fans, dirty coils, shorted compressors and tired breakers, in diagnosis order.
Formerly Adam & Sam Brothers RepairBothell · King and Snohomish County sides
Heat pump and AC repair on both sides of Bothell's county line
Bothell sits in two counties and on two electric utilities, and about four in ten of its homes were built since 2000. We repair the heat pumps and air conditioners in Canyon Park, North Creek and the older neighborhoods, then install replacements when it's time.
- Drive time
- Seventeen to twenty-two minutes via I-5 and I-405.
- Two utilities
- PSE on the King County side, Snohomish PUD to the north.
- Newer homes
- About 39% of homes built since 2000.
- $85 diagnosticBecomes part of the repair price when you say yes. If you pass on the repair, that visit is all you pay.
- Up to $18 offAny repair requested through the online form. The diagnostic itself is never reduced.
- No-charge site visitInstalls are quoted in writing, equipment and installation work in one number.
I-405 opened through Bothell in 1968 and turned it into a commuter town; office parks in North Creek and Canyon Park followed in the 1980s and 1990s, and the population grew more than 40% between 2010 and 2020. About 39% of homes date from 2000 or later and another 34% from 1980 to 1999, so this is a younger housing stock than most of the cities we serve. Heating is 51% electric and 47% gas. Many of the newer North Creek and Canyon Park houses and townhomes were built with heat pumps, and the earliest of those are now around twenty years old, which is exactly the age when they start asking for attention.
That age shows up in winter repairs: defrost boards and sensors that stop clearing ice, capacitors that have lost capacity, and outdoor fan motors with tired bearings. In summer the same capacitors fail under heat. We carry those parts on the van and finish many Bothell repairs in one visit. Older neighborhoods like Westhill, Maywood, Shelton View and the streets around downtown have more gas furnaces with an air conditioner on top, along with electric furnaces from the 1970s and 1980s. Bothell also has a notable share of manufactured homes, about 6%, many with their own packaged or split heat pumps, and we work on those too.
Bothell heat pump and AC symptoms
Heat pump caked in ice while the house slowly cools off
- Likely cause
- Defrost board, coil sensor or a stuck relay
- What we do
- Watch for a defrost to start, test the sensor, board and relay in turn, and replace the faulty one
Fan and compressor click on, then hum and stop
- Likely cause
- Dual run capacitor that has lost its rating
- What we do
- Measure it under load and replace it from van stock, usually that visit
Heat pump short-cycles in mild weather
- Likely cause
- Oversized unit or poor thermostat placement
- What we do
- Check run times, thermostat settings and location, then adjust them or recommend changes
Air handler blows cold air during defrost
- Likely cause
- Backup heat strips not engaging
- What we do
- Test the strip circuit, sequencers and limit, then repair the fault
Grinding or scraping from the outdoor fan
- Likely cause
- Worn motor bearings or debris in the blade
- What we do
- Inspect the fan assembly, then replace the bent blade or the worn motor
Manufactured home heat pump can't keep up
- Likely cause
- Low charge, dirty coil or duct leaks under the floor
- What we do
- Check charge and airflow, and inspect the crossover duct and belly ducts for leaks or gaps
Which county, which utility, which house
The county line runs through Bothell, and it matters for the paperwork side of a heat pump. Addresses on the King County side, mostly 98011, get electricity from Puget Sound Energy; the Snohomish County side, 98012 and 98021, is served by Snohomish County PUD. Gas comes from PSE everywhere. The two electric utilities run different heat pump programs with different requirements, so the first thing we confirm on an install visit is which one is on your meter. Because the line runs straight across the city rather than along a natural boundary, homes a few blocks apart can be on different utilities. Then we sort out which of that utility's programs or rebates fit your home and equipment, and explain them without promising amounts.
Housing varies as much as utilities. Canyon Park and North Creek are full of 1990s and 2000s houses and townhomes, many with heat pumps from the start and air handlers in garages, attics or closets. Downtown has about 1,300 newer apartments and townhomes, and buildings designed under Washington's 2021 energy code, in force since March 2024, lean toward heat pumps for heating. In older Westhill and Shelton View houses, adding a heat pump outdoor unit to an existing furnace is often the quickest way to central cooling. Bothell West, beyond the city line, has its own share of manufactured homes and newer subdivisions.
Bothell is a convergence-zone city, so many winter days hover near freezing in heavy, wet air, which is when a defrost fault shows itself quickest. A heat pump that can't clear its coil hands the work to the electric strips, and the bill rises before anyone notices a comfort problem. From our shop the drive is seventeen to twenty-two minutes by I-5 and I-405, with no distance surcharge, and same-day visits are possible Monday through Saturday when you reach us in the morning.
Bothell starting prices
In Bothell, heat pump and AC repair starts at $285, and the work we do most often here is on defrost controls and run capacitors. When a twenty-year-old heat pump has reached the end, a heat pump with a new air handler starts at $7,000. These are starting prices for the region, not a quote for your house, and the exact number is in the written estimate we give you after the diagnostic, before we start. Defrost boards and capacitors for widely used brands such as Carrier, Trane, Lennox and Goodman are often on the van. Install prices include equipment and installation, and the in-home visit and the written install quote cost nothing. On a two-story house with the air handler in the attic, the estimate also notes any access work the replacement needs.
- AC / heat pump capacitorfrom $285
- Contactorfrom $285
- Heat pump defrost boardfrom $300
- Outdoor fan motorfrom $425
- Refrigerant leak repair and rechargefrom $500
- Heat pump reversing valvefrom $1,100
- Indoor (evaporator) coilfrom $1,500
- Compressor (out of warranty)from $2,200
- Diagnostic visit$85, included in the repair
Starting prices for the north Seattle area, 2026. The $85 diagnostic is included in any repair you approve, and the exact price is in the written estimate before work starts.
System, installed
- Central air conditionerfrom $5,000
- Heat pump outdoor unit onlyfrom $5,250
- Inverter (variable-speed) heat pumpfrom $6,000
- Heat pump with air handlerfrom $7,000
Install prices start here, equipment and installation included, before any utility program. Multi-zone systems are priced after a visit. We do not charge for the site visit or the written quote.
Twenty-year-old heat pumps: fix or replace
A heat pump built around 2005 in North Creek or Canyon Park is at the age where repair and replacement need a real comparison. Defrost boards, capacitors and fan motors are worth fixing on almost any system, since they cost little next to the whole unit. A failed compressor, a reversing valve or a second refrigerant leak on a twenty-year-old heat pump is different, particularly if it still uses R-22. Then we usually price both a repair and a full replacement with a new air handler, because the original air handler has the same age and its blower motor and coil will be next. For the older electric-furnace houses in Westhill or Shelton View, the choice is between adding a heat pump to the furnace or replacing both. Townhome owners in North Creek face one more variable, since the air handler often sits in a tight closet or attic and a replacement has to fit the same space. We write each option down with its price and let you compare.
Common questions
Is my Bothell home on PSE or Snohomish PUD electricity?
It depends on the county. King County addresses, generally 98011, are on Puget Sound Energy; Snohomish County addresses, generally 98012 and 98021, are on Snohomish County PUD. Your power bill settles it. We check which utility's heat pump programs or rebates apply before quoting an install.
My heat pump is almost twenty years old. Should I repair it?
For a capacitor, contactor, fan motor or defrost board, usually yes; those repairs are modest. For a compressor, reversing valve or repeated leak, we recommend comparing the repair to a replacement, especially on R-22 systems. We give you both prices in writing so the choice is yours.
Do you work on manufactured home heat pumps?
Yes. Manufactured homes in Bothell often have packaged units or split heat pumps paired with a downflow air handler. Many of the same parts fail, such as capacitors, contactors and defrost controls, and duct leaks under the floor are a common cause of weak heating. We repair them and quote replacements.
Why does my heat pump blow cool air for a few minutes in winter?
During defrost, the heat pump briefly switches to cooling mode to melt frost off the outdoor coil, and the backup heat strips are supposed to warm the air meanwhile. If the air feels cold during defrost, the strips or their controls may not be working. Short defrost cycles themselves are normal.
How quickly can you get to Bothell?
Bothell is seventeen to twenty-two minutes from our Mountlake Terrace shop off peak. Phone us or book online in the morning, Monday through Saturday, and we can usually be there the same day. There's no added charge for distance, and the common heat pump parts are already on the van.
Talk to Adam & Sam
Whichever side of the county line you're on, call (425) 570-9520 or reserve a visit online. If you approve the repair, the $85 diagnostic is included, and booking online gets up to $18 off the repair. Install estimates start with a site visit at no cost.
From Sam’s repair notes
AC & heat pump
The Small Part That Kills Most ACs in a Heat Wave: Capacitor Failure Explained
Humming outdoor unit, a fan that needs a stick-start, breaker trips, cooling that quits late in the day: the run capacitor's tells, and the right fix.
AC & heat pump
Outdoor AC Fan Not Spinning: Capacitor, Motor or Contactor — the Stick Test Tells
A still fan on a humming condenser points to one of three parts. Why the stick-start trick is a warning, not a fix, and what each repair involves.
Schedule a repair
Request a visit from Adam & Sam
Send the basics and we call you back with an arrival window, most days the same morning.
- $85 diagnostic Becomes part of the repair price when you say yes. If you pass on the repair, that visit is all you pay.
- Up to $18 off Any repair requested through the online form. The diagnostic itself is never reduced.
- $10 off A second appliance’s diagnostic when we check it during the same trip.