Gateway to the Gorge
HVAC Contractor in Washougal, WA — Repair, Install & Maintenance
Washougal sits right at the mouth of the Columbia Gorge, which means it catches the worst east wind and silver-thaw ice in the county. Low, exposed riverfront homes and 2000s hillside subdivisions all fight the same cold-load problem. We find the real one before quoting.
Gorge wind country
What Washougal homes actually need
More than anywhere else in Clark County, the weather here is the HVAC story. Cold air pours out of the Columbia Gorge, and Washougal's low, exposed riverfront takes it first and hardest.
The Gorge east wind is the whole story
Cold, dense air drains west out of the Columbia Gorge as a hard east wind; when Pacific rain hits it, it freezes on contact — "silver thaw." Locals here regularly see ice on only the east side of the house. We wind-rate installs, seal the east-facing walls, and size for the infiltration those walls actually see.
Ice loads your outdoor unit
Back-to-back freezing-rain events — February 2021, the January 2024 storms — bring 50-plus mph Gorge winds, glaze the outdoor unit, and take the power down. That's the case for a heat pump with gas or dual-fuel backup, ice-aware siting, and a whole-home generator worth talking through.
Old riverfront core, newer hillsides
Washougal is a mix: an early-1900s mill-era downtown and riverfront core, plus 2000s–2010s hillside subdivisions. The old homes want sealing, retrofit and mini-split conversions; the hillside homes want a right-sized system that can handle the wind — not just a bigger furnace.
The ductwork has never been measured
Original runs, added returns, a filter that quietly got thicker over the years. We take a static-pressure reading before touching anything — it's the fastest way to tell a duct problem from an equipment problem.
Straight pricing
Washougal HVAC services
Repair & Diagnostic
$99 diagnostic, credited toward any repair over $500. A written estimate before a single part goes in — no surprise line items.
See repair →Installation & Replacement
Furnaces, heat pumps, AC and mini-splits. Load calculation first, permits pulled, 1-year workmanship warranty. Single-zone mini-split from $3,850.
See installation →Cleaning & Maintenance
Coils, blower wheels, drain lines — and a written report with the actual numbers, not a checklist someone ticked from the driveway.
See cleaning →Maintenance Plans
Two measured visits a year, full readings, repairs at 10–20% off. From $19.90/mo, cancel anytime.
See plans →More services
What else we do in Washougal
The numbers behind the name
Why Washougal homeowners call us
Nearby
Washougal and around
Same flat pricing and the same written report everywhere in Clark County.
Pendleton Woolen Mills & outlet · Steigerwald Lake NWR · Cape Horn · Captain William Clark Park & Cottonwood Beach
Straight answers
The questions Washougal homeowners ask
How fast can you get to Washougal?
Fast — it's a straight run up SR-14 from us. Call and the technician picks up, not a call center, and most days we can confirm same-day availability.
The east wind here is brutal every winter. What actually helps?
Three things. Seal the east-facing walls so the wind stops driving cold air through the house; run a dual-fuel setup — a heat pump most of the year with gas backup for the cold snaps; and site the outdoor unit out of the worst of the ice. On an exposed lot, a whole-home generator is worth the conversation, since the freezing-rain events are the ones that take the power down.
My outdoor unit ices over in a storm — is that normal?
In a Gorge silver-thaw event, some glazing is normal and a healthy unit defrosts through it. If it's icing up in ordinary cold, or not recovering, that's a defrost or refrigerant issue — we measure it instead of guessing, and siting the unit better usually helps too.
My riverfront house has no ductwork. What are my options?
A ductless mini-split, usually. It skips opening up ceilings in a finished home, and a single zone starts at $3,850 installed. We size it with a load calculation, not off square footage.
My furnace is from the nineties. Repair or replace?
We'll tell you straight. If a repair makes sense and buys you years, we'll say so. If you're pouring money into a system near the end of its life, we'll say that instead — and show you the combustion readings behind it.
Something not right? Let's look at it.
Call and the technician picks up. Or send your details and we'll confirm same-day availability.