AC Repair — Same-Day Air Conditioner Repair
AC repair, usually the same day you call: a licensed technician finds the actual fault — capacitor, contactor, motor, drain or refrigerant charge — prices it in writing, and in most cases has the house cooling again before the truck leaves. Most air conditioner repairs land between $150 and $800.
Four faults account for the bulk of the air conditioner calls we take in a Burlington or Oakville July. A run capacitor that has lost capacity, a contactor with pitted points, a condensate drain packed with algae, and a system low on refrigerant because it is leaking somewhere. The first three are inexpensive parts and a single visit; only the fourth is genuinely costly, because locating and sealing the leak takes longer than the refrigerant itself costs.
Age changes the maths more than anything else. Condensers built before about 2010 run on R-22, which has not been manufactured or imported into Canada since 2020 and now exists only as reclaimed stock at reclaimed-stock prices. On one of those units, a leak repair plus a recharge can cost more than the equipment is worth, so we price the repair and a replacement side by side rather than quietly topping it up every summer. Is it worth repairing a 10-year-old AC sets out where the line usually falls.
Two things are worth checking before you call, and neither needs a tool. Look at the breaker and at the pull-out disconnect on the wall beside the outdoor unit — a homeowner can reseat that, and a surprising number of no-cool calls end there. Then look at the filter: a collapsed or clogged filter starves the indoor coil, the coil freezes into a block of ice, and the symptom that arrives is 'no cold air' rather than 'dirty filter'. If the copper line into the house is frosted over, shut the cooling off and leave the fan running to thaw it, then call — why an AC freezes up explains why running it iced does real damage.
We dispatch out of 4145 North Service Road in Burlington, a couple of minutes off the QEW, so Aldershot, Bronte and Stoney Creek are short runs and Hamilton calls go up the 403 or the Red Hill. The 24/7 line is answered by the same crew, and a Saturday evening call is billed at the same rate as a Wednesday morning — no overtime or holiday premium. Book through our contact page, see AC service in Burlington, or read what to do if the AC fails during a heat wave.
Call for AC repair when
- The outdoor unit runs but the air at the vents is barely cooler than the room
- Ice on the copper suction line, or a solid frost coat on the indoor coil
- The unit hums for a second and then trips the breaker
- Water pooling near the furnace or air handler, or a ceiling stain below an upstairs coil
- A loud buzz, rattle or grinding from the condenser, or a burnt smell at the disconnect
How it works
Is the outdoor fan spinning, is the breaker holding, is there ice on the pipe? Three answers on the phone usually tell us which parts to bring.
Electrical tests first, then pressures and temperatures across both coils. You get the fault in plain language and a fixed price before any work starts.
Parts fitted, charge verified against the nameplate, and the temperature split across the indoor coil measured so you can see the system is actually cooling, not just running.
Brands: We repair Lennox, Carrier, Trane, Goodman, Rheem, York, Amana, KeepRite and Daikin air conditioners, whoever installed them originally.
Common questions
Can you come the same day?
Often, yes — no-cooling calls are what the summer schedule is built around, and we hold room in the day for them. During a heat wave we triage rather than work strictly in order of who called: a house with an infant, an elderly resident or someone unwell goes first. The emergency line is answered around the clock, and an evening or weekend call is billed at the ordinary rate.
What will it cost before you arrive?
The diagnostic service call is $90–$150 and is credited toward the repair if you proceed. After that you get a written price for the specific fix, not an hourly meter — how much AC repair costs in the GTA breaks the common jobs down by part.
My AC runs constantly but the house never cools. What is that?
Usually low refrigerant from a leak, a dirty condenser coil that cannot reject heat, or a unit that was undersized for the house to begin with. On a humid stretch off the lake it can also be that the system is sized for temperature but not for moisture — our troubleshooting guide walks through the checks in order.
Why does my AC trip the breaker?
A shorted capacitor, a seized fan motor, a compressor drawing locked-rotor amps, or a breaker that has weakened after years of starting current. Do not keep resetting it — each reset sends full current through whatever is faulted. Why an AC trips the breaker explains what is safe to try.
At what point do I stop repairing?
Our rule of thumb: past twelve years, on R-22, and facing a compressor or a leak repair, replacement usually wins. Under ten years with a capacitor or a motor, repair every time. Repair vs replacement for a Toronto AC shows the arithmetic we use.