Ottawa and the 613
Air Conditioner Repair in Ottawa
If your air conditioner has quit or it is not keeping the house cool, call (613) 349-6646. We repair central air conditioning across Ottawa and the surrounding 613 area, on all makes and models. Emergency cooling service runs 24 hours a day. For quotes, bookings and anything that is not urgent, the office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Common air conditioner problems we fix
An air conditioner usually shows it is struggling before it stops. Here is what the common signs tend to mean. None of them can be diagnosed properly over the phone, so if you are seeing one, call and we will find out what is going on.
Not cooling, or blowing warm air
The unit runs but the air is not cold, or the house never reaches the temperature you set. Could be low refrigerant, a dirty coil, a failing compressor, or a thermostat problem.
Weak airflow
Air comes out of the vents but there is not much of it. Often a clogged filter, a dirty blower, or a restriction further back in the system.
The unit freezes up
Ice on the refrigerant lines or the indoor coil. Usually low airflow or low refrigerant, and running it while frozen can damage the compressor.
Water where it should not be
Central air makes condensate, and a blocked drain backs it up. A puddle by the furnace in summer is usually the air conditioner's drain, not the furnace.
Strange noises
Buzzing, grinding, or a loud hum on start-up. Electrical and mechanical parts each sound different, and some are worth stopping for.
Short cycling
It turns on and off every few minutes without cooling the house. It wears the unit out and rarely fixes itself.
It will not turn on
Nothing happens when cooling is called for. Could be the thermostat, a tripped breaker, or a safety switch.
Higher bills for the same cooling
An air conditioner losing efficiency runs longer and costs more before it fully fails.
A few things to check before you call
Some no-cooling calls have a simple cause you can rule out in a couple of minutes.
The thermostat
Set it to cool, and a few degrees below the room temperature. A dead battery set will stop it.
The breaker
Central air often has its own breaker, and a hot day can trip it. Check the panel.
The filter
A clogged filter chokes airflow and can freeze the system or shut it down. If it is grey and packed, change it.
The outdoor unit
Make sure it is not smothered by leaves, grass clippings, or a fence too close. It needs room to breathe.
If all of that checks out and it still will not cool, that is our cue, not yours. Call (613) 349-6646 and we will take it from there.
If the unit is frozen, turn it off
If you see ice on your air conditioner or on the lines running to it, turn it off at the thermostat and let it thaw. Running a frozen unit is one of the few ways a small problem turns into a compressor replacement. Once it has thawed, call (613) 349-6646 and we will find out why it froze. Air conditioners also use refrigerant under pressure, which by law has to be handled by a certified technician, so topping it up is not a homeowner job.
What happens when we come out
We start with what you are seeing and check the whole system, indoor and outdoor, not just the obvious part.
We find what failed and why. On a cooling problem that usually means checking refrigerant, airflow and the electrical side together, because one causes the other.
You get the real price before any work starts. If the repair is not worth it, we tell you.
With your go-ahead we do the repair, usually in the same visit when the part is a common one.
We check it cools properly and that the drain is clear before we leave.
Emergency service
Cooling out in the heat
Emergency cooling service runs 24 hours a day, on the same number. If the house is dangerously hot, or someone in it does not do well in the heat, call (613) 349-6646. During office hours, Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, we also handle quotes, bookings and anything that is not urgent.
Repair or replace?
We would have to look at it. Age matters, but it does not decide it on its own. What the repair costs, how efficient the current unit is, whether it still runs on the older R-22 refrigerant, and how many times it has already broken down all come into it. We will tell you plainly when a repair is the smarter buy.
What a repair costs
We do not put a price list against a repair nobody has looked at, because the number would change the moment we arrived. What it costs depends on the part that failed, whether the system needs refrigerant, how easy the unit is to reach, and whether it is a scheduled visit or an emergency one. You get the real number before we start the work, not after, and the quote is free. If a repair turns out not to be worth it, we will tell you that too.
Air conditioner maintenance and tune-ups
Most cooling breakdowns in July trace back to something a spring tune-up would have caught: a filter nobody changed, a coil packed with a winter's worth of dust, a drain starting to clog. A serviced air conditioner cools better, costs less to run, and is far less likely to quit in the first heat wave. If yours has not been looked at this year, it is worth booking before the next hot stretch.
The air conditioners we work on
We repair central air conditioners of every major brand, including Carrier, Lennox, Trane, Goodman, Amana, Rheem, Bryant, York and KeepRite. You do not need to know the make or model before you call. We will sort that out when we are there.
Local, not a call centre
Why call us
We are a local Ottawa company, not a call centre. Rami, the owner, is based in Barrhaven. When we look at your air conditioner we tell you what it actually needs, and a repair we do today is worth less to us than a customer who calls us again in ten years. We work on all makes and models, and you do not need to know yours before you pick up the phone.
Air conditioner repair across Ottawa
We cover Ottawa and the communities around it: Barrhaven, Nepean, Kanata, Stittsville, Orleans, Gloucester, Manotick, Riverside South and the rest of the greater Ottawa area, out to Kemptville, Smiths Falls, Arnprior, Casselman and Rockland. We work in Ontario only. If your heating needs attention too, we handle that as well: see our furnace repair page, or the full list on our services page.
Common questions
Why is my AC not cooling or blowing warm air?
The common causes are low refrigerant, a dirty or iced-up coil, a thermostat set to the wrong mode, or a failing compressor. A dirty filter starves the system of airflow and shows up the same way. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and the filter is clean, and if it still will not cool, that is usually a refrigerant or compressor problem that needs a technician. Call (613) 349-6646 and we will find it.
Why is my air conditioner freezing up?
Ice on an air conditioner almost always means low airflow or low refrigerant. A clogged filter, a dirty coil, or a refrigerant leak are the usual causes. Turn it off and let it thaw first, because running it frozen can wreck the compressor, then call us to find out why it iced up in the first place.
How long does an air conditioner last?
A central air conditioner usually lasts ten to fifteen years. Age on its own is not a reason to replace one. A unit that still uses the older R-22 refrigerant can be worth replacing sooner, because that refrigerant is no longer made and has become expensive. We will give you an honest read when we are there.
How much does AC repair cost in Ottawa?
It depends on the part that failed and whether the system needs refrigerant, so we do not quote a repair sight unseen. We give you the real price before we start, not after, and the quote is free. If a repair is not worth it, we will tell you.
How often should an air conditioner be serviced?
Once a year, ideally in the spring before the cooling season. A yearly service keeps it cooling efficiently and catches the small problems, a clogged drain or a dirty coil, before they become a breakdown in the middle of July.
Do you offer 24-hour emergency AC repair?
Yes. Emergency cooling service runs 24 hours a day, on the same number, (613) 349-6646. For quotes, bookings and anything that is not urgent, the office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
My air conditioner is leaking water. Is that a problem?
Usually it is a blocked condensate drain, which is a common and fixable problem. Turn the unit off so it does not keep pooling water, and call us. In summer, water near the furnace is almost always the air conditioner’s drain, not the furnace.
Get the cool air back on
Call (613) 349-6646, or if it is not urgent, send us a note through the contact form and we will get back to you during office hours.