24/7 Emergency AC Repair

Start with three quick checks. The thermostat should be on Cool and set below the room temperature, the breaker for the outdoor unit should be on, and the filter should not be packed with dust. If all three are fine and the vents still blow warm air, the fault is inside the equipment.

Capacitors and contactors

If the outdoor unit hums but its fan does not spin, or nothing outside runs at all, suspect the capacitor or the contactor first. They are among the most frequent part failures we replace; in our own job notes since 2023, clogged condensate drains and float-switch shutoffs come up most often (about 3,000 times), then refrigerant leaks (about 2,200), then capacitors and contactors (about 750). The capacitor gives the compressor and fan motor the push they need to start, and month after month of Florida heat wears it down. Lightning and the power surges that follow summer storms finish off many more. The contactor is the switch that turns the outdoor unit on; its contacts pit and burn, and ants like to nest in it. We test both before replacing anything, and a whole-home surge protector cuts down the storm damage.

Frozen coil

Ice on the copper line at the air handler, or a puddle around it once the ice melts, means the indoor coil has frozen. The usual causes are a clogged filter, closed or blocked vents, a weak blower motor or low refrigerant. Set the thermostat to Off and the fan to On so the ice melts, and do not chip at it. If it freezes again with a clean filter, call us, because running a frozen system can damage the compressor.

Refrigerant is not used up like fuel. A system that is low has a leak, and topping it off without finding the leak means buying the same refrigerant again next summer. We find the leak first. Common spots are the indoor coil, brazed and flare joints, the service valves, and line sets rubbed through where they pass a wall or get nicked by a string trimmer. A damaged length of line can be cut out and replaced, then pressure-tested, evacuated and recharged. When the leak is in the coil, we price the coil and a full system side by side.

The compressor is the costliest part of the outdoor unit. One that hums and trips its breaker, or an outdoor fan that keeps running while the house warms up, points to it, but a weak capacitor or a burned wire can look exactly the same. We test before we condemn a compressor. Condenser fan motors fail from heat and worn bearings, and once that fan stops, the compressor overheats and shuts itself off. Inside, a failing blower motor shows up as weak airflow or a squeal from the air handler.

On a humid day your AC pulls a surprising amount of water out of the air, and all of it leaves through one small condensate line. Algae and sludge grow in that line until it clogs and water backs up into the pan. A float switch in the pan or line then shuts the system off before it overflows. That is why a healthy AC can suddenly stop and leave the thermostat screen blank.

Many Central Florida homes have the air handler in the attic, where an overflow ends up as a brown stain on the ceiling below. If you find standing water in the pan, switch the system off and call. We clear and flush the line, check the trap and the float switch, and make sure the secondary pan drains. Drain cleaning on a regular tune-up is the cheapest way to stop it happening again.

Thermostat problems

A blank screen usually means dead batteries, a tripped float switch or a blown low-voltage fuse at the air handler. A thermostat in direct sun or on an outside wall reads the wrong temperature. Short cycling, where the system starts and stops every few minutes, can be the thermostat, but it can also be low refrigerant or an oversized system. We test the wiring and controls before recommending a new thermostat.

Noises worth a call

• Buzzing at the outdoor unit with the fan still: capacitor or contactor.
• Squealing or grinding: a motor bearing wearing out.
• Rattling: a loose panel, debris in the fan, or a blade striking the guard.
• Hissing or bubbling: often a refrigerant leak.
• Repeated clicking and no start: a relay, control board or wiring fault.

Heat that will not come on

Homes here heat with a heat pump or with electric heat strips in the air handler, which some people call an electric furnace. Strips usually fail from a burned element, a stuck sequencer or relay, or a tripped limit switch. Defrost and reversing valve problems are covered on our heat pump and mini-split page.

When the AC quits on a July evening with a baby or an older parent in the house, call (386) 232-5320. Emergency service is available, and calls after hours carry an after-hours dispatch fee; the price table shows what customers actually paid for them. While you wait, close the blinds on the sunny side, run the ceiling fans, and switch the system off if it is iced up or leaking.

During regular hours, our current offer is a $99 AC diagnostic (limited time). From January 2023 to October 2026 we completed 1,391 HVAC service calls in DeBary and 1,383 in Deltona.

Air conditioners here run most of the year instead of a few summer months, and in our experience most systems reach the point where replacement makes more sense than repair somewhere around 12 to 15 years. Past that age, a compressor or coil failure can cost a large share of a new system. A system that still runs on R-22 refrigerant is the other warning sign: R-22 has been phased out, so every leak and recharge gets more expensive.

We give you the flat-rate repair price and, if you want it, a free estimate for a replacement, so you can compare the two on paper. If replacing wins, see AC replacement and installation for real prices and financing, subject to credit approval. If repair wins, we fix it and tell you what to watch for.