No heat during a cold snap, or an AC that quit in the middle of a July heat dome, moves to the top of the list quickly. Describe the symptom and the equipment and licensed Gresham heating and cooling contractors respond with diagnostic pricing and how soon they can be out.
Under about ten years old, repair almost always wins — parts are available and the equipment has life left. Past fifteen, a compressor, heat exchanger or major refrigerant leak generally argues for replacement, because you are spending heavily on a unit near the end. Between those ages, compare the repair against the remaining years honestly.
On a gas furnace it is usually ignition, flame sensor, pressure switch, or a plugged condensate line before anything expensive. A dirty flame sensor is a fifteen-minute fix that gets sold as a control board more often than it should. Ask the tech to show you the failed part and explain the reading that condemned it.
Systems do not consume refrigerant. If yours is low, there is a leak, and topping it off without finding that leak means paying again next summer. R-22 systems are the awkward case: refrigerant for them is expensive and scarce now, so a major repair on an older unit often argues for replacement instead.
A heat pump that runs constantly on a 35-degree morning may be perfectly normal — that is how they work — while a system stuck in defrost or one whose backup strips run all day is not. Gresham has a lot of older air-source units near end of life alongside newer cold-climate models. A tech who works on both will tell you which pattern you are actually seeing.
The conversion has become the default replacement conversation in Gresham, and for a good reason rather than a fashionable one. A great many houses here were built with heating only, on the assumption that August could be handled with open windows. The heat events of recent summers ended that assumption for most households. Replacing a dying gas furnace with a heat pump therefore solves two problems with one installation, because the same equipment that heats you in February cools you in July. Energy Trust of Oregon runs genuine incentives on qualifying heat pump installations, and utility and federal programmes have layered on top of those at various points — the amounts and the eligibility rules change, so ask your contractor what currently applies to your address and equipment rather than trusting a figure you read somewhere. Three things decide whether the conversion works well: whether your ductwork can carry the higher airflow a heat pump wants, whether your electrical panel has capacity for the outdoor unit and any backup heat, and whether you keep gas as a backup in a dual-fuel arrangement. Ask for a proper load calculation rather than a rule of thumb about square footage.
HVAC in East County is a seasonal trade with two hard peaks and two quiet stretches, and the difference between them is measured in weeks of waiting. The first genuinely cold week of November fills every schedule in the metro with no-heat calls, and the first stretch above ninety in June or July does the same for cooling. If you already know something is wrong — the furnace was noisy last winter, the AC struggled in August, one bedroom never gets warm — the cheap move is to have it looked at in the off-season. You get a next-day appointment instead of a two-week queue, you get a normal rate rather than an emergency one, and if the answer turns out to be replacement you have time to compare two or three bids properly instead of taking whoever can come today. The same applies to duct sealing, which is easier to schedule and often does more for comfort than new equipment would.
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Plenty of Gresham homes were built with heat only, on the old assumption that a fan and open windows would carry you through August. The heat events since 2021 ended that assumption, and demand for retrofit cooling now spikes hard in June. Booking a repair or install before the first hot week is the difference between a next-day visit and a two-week wait.
Much of the local housing stock runs ducts through unconditioned crawlspaces where joints have loosened and insulation has sagged over four decades. Leaky ducts show up as one cold bedroom and a furnace that never cycles off. Sealing and re-insulating those runs often does more for comfort than a bigger unit would.
Equipment changeouts and new gas or refrigerant lines require a mechanical permit from City of Gresham Development Services, or Multnomah County for addresses outside the city. Straight repairs generally do not. Any contractor you hire should carry an active Oregon CCB registration.
| Symptom | Under 10 years old | Over 15 years old |
|---|---|---|
| Capacitor, contactor, igniter or flame sensor | Repair. Small part, quick visit | Repair. Still cheap, buys you another season |
| Blower motor or control board | Repair, usually clearly worth it | Judgement call. Get both numbers side by side |
| Refrigerant leak found and located | Repair the leak, then recharge | Often replace, especially on an R-22 system |
| Failed compressor | Check the warranty first, then repair | Replace. The cost approaches a new system |
| Cracked heat exchanger | Replace under warranty if covered | Replace the furnace. It is a carbon monoxide risk, not a repair |
| No cooling at all, gas furnace only | Add cooling — a heat pump is worth costing | Replace with a heat pump and get both jobs done at once |
Diagnostic visits commonly run $90–$175, usually applied toward the repair if you proceed. Small parts work — flame sensor, capacitor, contactor, thermostat — typically finishes under $400 all in. Blower motors, control boards, and inducer assemblies more often land in the $500–$1,200 range. A compressor or heat exchanger failure on an older system is where replacement usually pencils out better than repair. Get a written diagnosis naming the part before authorizing anything past the diagnostic.
Furnace quit during the cold snap. The tech found a cracked pressure switch hose, replaced it, and charged the diagnostic plus a small part. Very fair.
Instead of selling me a new AC he found a leaking line set, repaired it, and recharged. Still running fine through this summer.
The heat pump was going into defrost constantly and we assumed it was finished. He cleaned the outdoor coil, corrected the charge, and explained why the air off a heat pump feels cooler than a furnace.
Frequently it is airflow rather than heat: a clogged filter, a failing blower, or ducts leaking into the crawlspace. Sometimes it is short cycling from an overheating limit switch. A tech can measure temperature rise across the furnace and tell you within minutes.
Depends on the part. A capacitor or igniter, sure. A compressor, heat exchanger, or major refrigerant leak on equipment that age generally means putting real money into a unit near the end anyway. Ask for repair and replacement numbers side by side.
Honestly, slower than you want. When Gresham hits triple digits every contractor in the metro is booked, and no-cooling calls involving elderly or medically vulnerable residents get priority. Say so in your request if that applies to your household.
Many Gresham homeowners do, since a heat pump handles both heating and the summer cooling the old system never provided. It depends on your ductwork, panel capacity, and whether you keep gas backup. Ask for a load calculation, not a rule of thumb.
Yes. Energy Trust of Oregon offers real incentives on qualifying heat pump installations, and utility and federal programmes have added to those at various times. The amounts, the equipment efficiency thresholds and the income rules all change, so ask your contractor what applies to your address and the specific model quoted, and confirm who files the paperwork. Treat any figure quoted to you casually as needing checking.
For a repair, generally not. For an equipment changeout, a new gas line, or new refrigerant lines, yes — a mechanical permit through City of Gresham Development Services inside the city, or through Multnomah County for addresses beyond the boundary. Your contractor should pull it under their own CCB registration, and the inspection is what protects you if the install is ever questioned by an insurer or a buyer.
Nothing. Describing the project and receiving quotes is free, and there is no fee if you hire someone. You pay your contractor for the work, and that is the entire arrangement.
Usually two to four, matched on trade, project size and whether they genuinely work your area. Only those matched to your job see your details — we do not resell requests.
Tell us the equipment, the symptom, and how urgent it is. Local licensed heating and cooling contractors will follow up with diagnostic pricing and availability.
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