WA Lic. INFINHA841B8 400+ Google reviews
Quick answer
- Test cooling mode on a mild day in April or May — a dead AC discovered in a heat wave waits in line behind everyone else's.
- Rinse winter grime and pollen off the outdoor coil before the unit has to work hard.
- A fresh filter matters for cooling too: restricted airflow is a top cause of frozen coils.
- Book the pro visit before the first hot stretch; spring schedules are open, June schedules are not.
The mild-day cooling test
Switch the thermostat to cool and drop the setpoint a few degrees below room temperature. Within a few minutes the outdoor unit should start, air from the registers should turn noticeably cool, and the system should run steadily without odd noises. If the outdoor fan doesn't spin, the air never cools, or the unit hums without starting, you've found the problem with weeks of margin instead of hours. One caution: don't run this test when it's below about 60°F outside — cooling equipment isn't meant to run in cold weather, and a short mild-day test is all you need.
Rinse the outdoor coil
Over a South Sound winter the outdoor coil collects a paste of fir needles, moss spores, road grit, and by April, a coating of pollen. That layer insulates the coil exactly where it needs to shed heat, so the system works harder and delivers less cooling. Shut power off at the disconnect, then rinse the fins gently from top to bottom with a garden hose — no pressure washer, which folds the fins flat. Clear vegetation back to 18–24 inches while you're there. It's ten minutes of work that directly buys back capacity for the hot weeks.
Filter, drain, and registers
Install a fresh filter before cooling season: in cooling mode, weak airflow doesn't just cost comfort, it can drop the indoor coil below freezing and turn it into a block of ice that shuts the system down on the hottest day. If you know where your condensate drain exits, confirm it's not blocked — cooling season is when that line works hardest, and a clog can trip a float switch or leak onto a ceiling. Open and unblock the supply registers in rooms you'll want cool, especially upstairs bedrooms that bake in the evening.
Why book before the first heat wave
The Northwest cooling season is short but sharp: one hot stretch in late June can generate more service calls in a week than the previous two months combined, and genuinely broken systems in occupied homes get triaged first. A spring tune-up catches the quiet pre-failures — weak capacitors, low charge, dirty coils — while parts and appointments are easy to get. If your system is a heat pump, the cooling-side visit also confirms the reversing valve made the season change cleanly. Booking in April or May means the first 90-degree day is just a warm day, not a test.
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Family owned · WA Lic. INFINHA841B8 · 400+ Google reviews
Common questions
My heat pump heated fine all winter. Could cooling still fail?
Yes. Cooling exercises different behavior — the reversing valve position, the condensate system, and the higher summer loads on the compressor and fan. A system can limp through heating season on a weakening part that summer finishes off.
Is it safe to rinse the outdoor unit myself?
Yes, with power off at the disconnect and a gentle hose stream from top to bottom. Skip the pressure washer and coil-cleaning chemicals — those are for pros. If fins are already crushed or the grime won't rinse, note it for the tune-up.
What temperature should I set for the test?
Just a few degrees below the room's current temperature — enough to make the system run for ten or fifteen minutes. You're testing whether it works, not chilling the house.
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Infinity Heating & Air — licensed WA HVAC contractor (Lic. INFINHA841B8), family-owned in Graham. Last updated July 2026.