Air Conditioning Service in Gilbert, AZ

What East Valley heat does to an AC

Equipment capacity is rated at 95-degree outdoor air. We see twenty degrees past that. On a 115-degree July afternoon the outdoor unit sits in full sun beside a stucco wall, running from mid-morning until well after dark with barely a break.

The capacitor is often the first part to go. It's a small metal can that gives the compressor and fan motor their starting kick, and heat cooks it. When it fails, the outdoor unit hums and the fan blade sits still. Monsoon dust packs into the condenser coil until the unit can't get rid of heat.

The attic air handler has its own weak spot. Dust and slime build up in the drain line, the float switch cuts the system off to save your ceiling, and the house warms up while everything outside looks normal. Our $69 tune-up goes straight at two of those problems: the drain line gets flushed and the outdoor condenser gets rinsed.

Check these before you call

Start at the thermostat: Cool mode, a set point below room temperature and a screen that isn't blank. Then pull the filter. If it's gray and bowed inward, it's choking the airflow, and that alone can freeze the indoor coil.

Next, find the AC breaker in the panel. If it's tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off, because something is drawing more current than it should.

If the copper line at the outdoor unit is coated in ice, switch the system off and set the fan to On. That thaws the coil so it can be tested. When you call or text, tell us what you found.

Repair it or replace it

Most of what breaks on an AC is a part, and parts are worth fixing. A capacitor, a contactor, a fan motor or a clogged drain doesn't mean the system is done.

The math changes with the big failures: a compressor, a leaking evaporator coil, or a system still running on R-22, the old refrigerant that's no longer made. Age counts too. A unit well into its teens that needs a major part is usually a replacement candidate.

When it's a close call, ask for both numbers: the repair, and a free quote on a new system. We deal in Day & Night and Ruud and can order any other brand you have in mind. If you qualify, financing is an option.

What the $85 diagnostic pays for

It pays for finding the actual cause, which isn't always the part that looks burnt. A capacitor that died early can mean a fan motor pulling too much current or a condenser coil packed with dust, and swapping the capacitor alone gets you the same breakdown next month.

If the total repair runs over $300, the $85 is waived.