Residential only
When the heat quits in January or the house won't cool in July, the first job is finding out what actually went wrong. The owner does the diagnosis himself — measurements, readings and a plain explanation of the cause — and then you get practical options. Repair when repair makes sense. Replace when replacement makes sense. There is no commissioned salesperson in the middle of that conversation and no replacement quota driving it.
No heat? Call us at 253-314-1936. We take emergency and no-heat calls.
How a service call goes
The same symptom can have several different causes, so the visit starts with what the equipment is doing rather than a guess. Depending on the system that usually means verifying the thermostat and control signal, confirming power and safeties, reading temperature split and static pressure, checking filters and airflow, inspecting the condensate path, and — on refrigerant systems — taking pressures and superheat or subcooling instead of assuming a leak.
You get the findings, the underlying cause where it can be established, and the realistic options — including what happens if you wait a season. Some faults are a part; some are a design or installation problem that a part won't solve; some are genuinely end-of-life. We'll say which one it looks like and why, and you decide from there.
A capacitor, contactor, ignitor, flame sensor, sensor, control board, blower motor or a cleaned coil is usually worth doing. A failed compressor in an aging system on a discontinued refrigerant usually is not. Repair-first doesn't mean patching something that will strand you next winter — it means the recommendation follows the condition of the equipment, not a sales script.
Dreadnought stands behind its own workmanship, subject to project and equipment conditions. We don't extend that to customer-supplied, DIY or partially installed equipment. Where electrical or another trade is required, we work with licensed, bonded and insured trade partners, and permitting is handled as required for the project.
By system
Furnaces here idle most of the year and then get leaned on hard from November through February — which is when ignitors, flame sensors, pressure switches, limit switches and blower motors surface. Short-cycling and cold rooms are as often an airflow or duct problem as a furnace problem. More on furnace repair & replacement. (We do not promote oil furnace work.)
Weak heat in a cold snap can be defrost control, a sensor, drifted charge, auxiliary heat that isn't staging, or an outdoor coil packed with fir needles and moss in a damp shaded yard. Those look alike from the thermostat and very different on a gauge set. More on heat pump repair & installation.
Mini-split faults tend to be communication and sensor errors, dirty blower wheels and filters, condensate drainage, or line-set and commissioning issues left over from the original install. More on ductless mini-split systems.
No-cool calls usually trace to charge, a capacitor or contactor, a condenser fan, a clogged condensate path or a restricted coil. Systems that coasted for years often fail in the first real heat wave. More on AC repair & installation in Tacoma.
If the diagnosis points to replacement, pricing follows an on-site evaluation — every home is different, so we don't publish flat prices. Projects needing substantial measurement, calculations and system design may carry a paid design or assessment fee; eligible design fees may be credited toward the project if Dreadnought performs the installation, subject to the proposal.