Fast, Reliable AC Repair & Installation Across Hillsboro
AC repair in Hillsboro, Oregon typically costs $150-$650, and most repairs are completed in a single visit. New AC installation runs $3,500-$7,500, with heat pump conversions being the most common request we see in this market. If your system is blowing warm air, cycling constantly, or not running at all, our AC Repair & Installation team answers calls live at (866) 561-3358 - every hour of every day, including holidays.
We’ve been driving to Hillsboro since we first opened our doors in 1984. We know the difference between a 97123 mid-century ranch near historic downtown and a 97124 Intel-era tract home up by Orenco Station. That local knowledge matters because the right fix for one is often the wrong fix for the other. When you call us, you get a technician who understands Hillsboro’s housing stock, not a dispatcher reading from a generic script.
Why Fireside Heating & Air Co. Is Hillsboro’s Preferred AC Repair & Installation Company
Homeowners in Hillsboro have kept us busy for over four decades. Glen Hartman built this company on the principle that a job is either done right or it is not done - and if it is not done right, we make it right, in writing, for 90 days. No paperwork to file, no arguments to have. That is the 90-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every house we touch in Washington County.
Our phones are answered by a live person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The 2 a.m. call when your compressor locks up in July - we take it. The Saturday afternoon when your capacitor fails during a heat wave - we take that too. No voicemail trees, no callbacks tomorrow. Just a real person who can get a technician rolling.
Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed journeymen who put on shoe covers without being asked. They work in your home the way they would in their own mother’s. That is not a slogan - it is how we have operated since 2018.
We are trained on nine major brands: Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York, Daikin, Bryant, and American Standard. We carry common parts for Rheem, York, and Daikin systems on our trucks, which means faster repairs for Hillsboro homeowners and fewer return trips.
Our AC Repair & Installation Services in Hillsboro
AC Repair
Most AC repairs in Hillsboro fall between $150 and $650. The most common calls we get during summer are failed capacitors, low refrigerant, and compressor issues. In the 97124 corridor, we also see a lot of short-cycling caused by duct problems that were never addressed when the cooling was added. We do not just swap the part that failed - we figure out why it failed, so you are not calling us again in six weeks.
AC Installation
New AC installation in Hillsboro runs $3,500-$7,500 depending on system size, duct condition, and whether you need electrical upgrades. Here is where Hillsboro’s unique housing stock becomes critical. In the late-1990s Intel-boom subdivisions of 97124, it is common to find single-speed furnaces paired with duct systems that have no return air in secondary bedrooms and significant attic duct leakage. Any heat pump retrofit that skips a duct pressure test will almost certainly short-cycle and generate callbacks. We make a duct audit a near-mandatory first step on these jobs. In a late-1990s home near Orenco Station, we found the original single-speed furnace paired with undersized returns and no returns in secondary bedrooms. The homeowner wanted a 2-ton Carrier heat pump, but after a duct pressure test we identified 35% attic duct leakage; we sealed the ducts and upsized two returns, ensuring the new system delivered proper airflow without short-cycling.
AC Replacement
When your system is past repair, we give you straight talk about repair versus replace. No pressure, no upsell. If your 15-year-old condenser has a failed compressor and a refrigerant leak, we will tell you exactly what a new system costs and what a repair costs, and let you decide. For Hillsboro homeowners in the Tanasbourne area with original builder-grade equipment, replacement often makes sense - especially with our $50 off any repair over $250 and free second opinion on any written estimate.
Refrigerant Recharge
Low refrigerant means a leak, period. We do not just top off your system and leave. Our technicians locate the leak, repair it if possible, and recharge to manufacturer specification. With older R-22 systems still common in 97123 neighborhoods, we will also be direct with you about the cost of refrigerant versus the cost of upgrading to a modern R-410A or R-32 system.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Hillsboro
We are trained to service and install Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York, Daikin, Bryant, and American Standard. For Hillsboro customers, we stock common Rheem and York capacitors, contactors, and blower motors on our trucks, plus Daikin mini-split components for the ductless retrofits we are doing more of in older 97123 homes. If we do not have it, our distributor is local - most parts arrive same-day or next-morning. That matters when your system fails on a 95-degree August afternoon and your house is on the Tualatin Valley floor where the heat sits and builds.
Common AC Repair & Installation Problems We See in Hillsboro Homes
- Single-speed furnaces with heating-only ductwork causing heat pump short-cycling. In 97124 Intel-era homes, the original duct system was sized for gas heat only. When a heat pump is added without modifying returns and sealing leaks, the system short-cycles, comfort suffers, and equipment life shortens. We see this weekly in the Orenco Station and Tanasbourne areas.
- Attic duct leakage of 25-40% in 97124 tract homes. That conditioned air never reaches your rooms. It heats your attic instead. Every AC installation we do in these neighborhoods starts with a duct pressure test - no exceptions. The homeowner who skips this step pays for it in higher bills and callbacks.
- Undersized, leaky mid-century ductwork in 97123 that cannot handle heat pump airflow. The 1950s-60s ranches near historic downtown have charming character and ducts that belong in a museum. The static pressure is too high, airflow too low, and the result is frozen coils, blown motors, and a house that never cools. We modify or replace duct sections before installing any new equipment.
- Heat pumps undersized for Hillsboro’s low-ambient winter operation. Hillsboro sits in a cold-air drainage basin on the Tualatin Valley floor. Winter inversions routinely drop temperatures several degrees below Portland proper. A heat pump spec’d for Portland weather may struggle here. We size for the valley, not the city.
Heating and Cooling in Hillsboro - Done Right, Every Time
Between the Coast Range mist and the Willamette Valley’s wet winters, Hillsboro homes work their furnaces hard for six months straight, then lean on aging AC through the August heat wave. Fireside Heating & Air Co. was named for the warmest word in the American memory, and we show up like it matters - because your house is where you plan to stay. Our journeymen handle the builder-grade equipment common to this metro’s tract housing, and we give you honest math on repair versus replace. we coordinate through our Portland Metro service area
The Keystone Standard applies here too: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. Same price on the bill as the price quoted. And if you’re facing your first no-heat night of the season, a person answers the phone. Portland Metro homeowners can also ask about our $89 seasonal tune-up - catching the failure before the freeze is the cheapest repair we know.
Heating and Cooling in Hillsboro
Portland-area winters bring the damp chill that settles into older homes, and the first real heat wave each summer tests every builder-grade condenser on the block. We know the failure patterns here, and we plan for them. Our journeymen handle coil and condenser care, honest repair-versus-replace math, and tune-ups that head off the breakdowns you don’t want at midnight.
We work by our K.E.Y.S. code: Krafted right, Every time, Your home first, and Standing behind it. That means shoe covers on without asking, and the price quoted is the price paid. we coordinate through our Portland Metro service area
Heating and Cooling in Hillsboro
Portland-area winters bring the damp chill that settles into older homes, and the first real heat wave each summer tests every builder-grade condenser on the block. We know the failure patterns here, and we plan for them. Our journeymen handle coil and condenser care, honest repair-versus-replace math, and tune-ups that head off the breakdowns you don’t want at midnight.
We work by our K.E.Y.S. code: Krafted right, Every time, Your home first, and Standing behind it. That means shoe covers on without asking, and the price quoted is the price paid. we coordinate through our Portland Metro service area
Pricing for AC Repair & Installation in Hillsboro, OR
We believe in upfront pricing: the price quoted is the price paid, full stop. No add-ons, no surprises when the bill comes.
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| AC Repair | $150-$650 |
| AC Installation | $3,500-$7,500 |
What moves you within these ranges? System size, duct condition, electrical panel capacity, and whether your home needs a duct pressure test and sealing before equipment goes in. The 97124 tract homes we described above often need $800-$1,500 in duct modifications to make a heat pump perform as advertised. We tell you this before we start, not after we are halfway through. Call (866) 561-3358 for a free estimate - we will give you a real number you can plan around.
Current offers: $50 off any repair over $250. Free second opinion on any written estimate. $89 seasonal tune-up. Senior and veteran discount of 5%, always.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hillsboro
Our service area covers the full Tualatin Valley. We regularly run calls to Hillsboro, Aloha, Bethany, Beaverton, and Tigard. Same live-answer phones, same 90-Day Done Right Promise, same journeyman technicians no matter which city you are in.
Serving Hillsboro, OR - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hillsboro area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - AC Repair & Installation in Hillsboro
Because your duct system was designed for heating only, and it is probably leaking 25-40% of its air into the attic. In 97124 Intel-era homes, skipping this step means your new heat pump will short-cycle, fail to cool evenly, and likely need premature repair. We have learned this the hard way over 8 years - the duct audit is not optional, it is essential. Call (866) 561-3358 to schedule; estimates are free.
Yes, and this is the most common retrofit we do in Hillsboro. The heat pump handles cooling and mild-weather heating; your gas furnace takes over on the coldest valley nights. But the ductwork must be tested and modified first. Single-speed furnaces paired with heating-only returns cannot move the airflow a heat pump needs. We will tell you exactly what your system requires before any equipment is ordered. Call (866) 561-3358 for a free assessment.
We install and service Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York, Daikin, Bryant, and American Standard. For Hillsboro’s climate and housing stock, we often recommend Rheem and York for their reliability in low-ambient conditions, and Daikin for ductless mini-split retrofits in older homes with no ductwork. We do not push one brand - we match the system to your house and your budget. Call (866) 561-3358 to discuss options.
Hillsboro’s position on the flat Tualatin Valley floor means cold air drains and pools during winter inversions, often running several degrees colder than Portland. Summer heat is drier and more intense due to the rain shadow. A heat pump must be spec’d for reliable low-ambient operation and adequate cooling capacity for these conditions. We size for the valley, not the city average. Call (866) 561-3358 and we will walk you through exactly what your home needs.
Often, yes - especially for 97123 mid-century homes with no existing ductwork or with ducts too damaged to salvage. A Daikin ductless system gives you zoned cooling without tearing open walls. We have installed many in the older neighborhoods near historic downtown where homeowners wanted cooling without the cost and disruption of full duct replacement. The right answer depends on your layout and electrical panel. Call (866) 561-3358 for a free evaluation.
Written by Glen Hartman, Owner at Fireside Heating & Air Co., serving Hillsboro since 2018.