HVAC & air ducts · Olympia, WA
Olympia heat pumps and ducts built for damp winters
Olympia winters are wet and can turn cold on clear nights. We install heating that keeps up, and ductwork that stops losing heat into damp crawl spaces.
- Size heat pumps for Olympia's colder clear nights
- Insulate and seal ducts in damp crawl spaces
- Lift sagging duct runs up off the crawl space soil
HVAC & air ducts for Olympia homes · Seattle, WAOlympia homes
HVAC & air ducts built around Olympia houses
Heating an Olympia home means dealing with long, damp stretches and the occasional cold snap when the skies clear. Heat pumps handle that well when they are sized and installed correctly, and many homeowners are switching from older gas or electric furnaces to get efficient heat and summer cooling in one system. Sizing matters more here because clear winter nights here often run colder than in Seattle. We look at the home's insulation, air leakage and duct layout before recommending equipment, so the system is matched to the house rather than guessed. We also look at your electrical panel and where the outdoor unit can sit.
Ductwork is where many Olympia homes lose ground. In split-levels and ramblers, supply ducts run through crawl spaces that stay damp most of the year. Uninsulated ducts there sweat in summer and lose heat in winter, and separated joints pull musty crawl space air into the house. In older South Capitol homes without ducts, ductless mini-splits avoid opening plaster walls and give each zone its own control. We replace failing duct runs with sealed, insulated ductwork, hang it properly off the soil and make sure every register is connected. Sealing the ducts and insulating the crawl space work together, so we often plan them as one job. You see photos of the old and new duct runs.
- Size heat pumps for Olympia's colder clear nights
- Insulate and seal ducts in damp crawl spaces
- Lift sagging duct runs up off the crawl space soil
- Use ductless zones in older plaster-wall homes
Local conditions
What Olympia throws at attics and crawl spaces
The houses
Olympia's oldest homes sit close to the Capitol. The South Capitol neighborhood, Bigelow Highlands and parts of the Eastside and Westside are full of Craftsman bungalows, cottages and a few Victorians from the 1890s through the 1930s, many on post-and-pier or early concrete foundations with low crawl spaces and partial basements. Post-war ramblers and 1960s and 1970s split-levels fill much of the Eastside and Northeast. The Westside and Cooper Point areas add newer subdivisions from the 1980s through the 2000s, with truss attics, vaulted ceilings and blown-in insulation.
The weather
Olympia gets noticeably more rain than Seattle, and the wet season runs long. The city wraps around the south end of Budd Inlet, where the Deschutes River meets salt water, and fog settles in the low areas on fall and winter mornings. Clear winter nights often turn colder here than in Seattle, so frost forms on roofs and inside poorly ventilated attics. Heavy fir and maple canopy keeps many lots shaded and damp.
The wildlife
Norway rats are common along the Budd Inlet waterfront, the port area and downtown, and they move into crawl spaces from there. Roof rats and squirrels use the dense tree cover in older neighborhoods to reach rooflines. Wooded areas such as Priest Point Park and Watershed Park bring raccoons and other wildlife close to homes, and ravines give rodents shelter right behind backyards.
Typical results
What hvac & air ducts looks like
BeforeAfterHow it works
Same crew, same standard, in Olympia
- 01
Free inspection
- 02
A plain plan
- 03
Scheduled work, one crew
- 04
Start-up and walk-through
FAQ
HVAC & air ducts in Olympia: FAQ
Still unsure? Call (800) 674-4933 and talk it through with us.
Will a heat pump keep my Olympia house warm in a cold snap?
A correctly sized modern heat pump handles Olympia's typical winter weather well, including cold clear nights. For the occasional deep freeze, many systems include backup heat or are paired with an existing furnace. We size the system to your home's insulation and layout and explain how it handles cold weather.
Why does my house smell musty when the heat comes on?
In many Olympia homes, ducts run through a damp crawl space. If a joint has separated or a duct is torn, the furnace can pull crawl space air into the system. We inspect the duct runs, photograph any damage, and repair or replace them so the air comes from inside the house only.
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Free hvac & air ducts inspection in Olympia.
Book a free inspection. We'll photograph your attic and crawl space and walk you through what we find, before you decide anything.