AC repair in Los Angeles, priced in writing first
Blowing warm air, won't start, icing up, or turning on and off every few minutes. Most repairs finish on the first visit, from parts on the truck.
- Same day on calls before 2pm
- Replacement quotes are free
- One year on parts and labor
When an air conditioner quits on a hot afternoon, the cause is often one part. It is usually in the outdoor unit, sometimes at the indoor coil or the drain line. The tests find which one before anyone quotes you a price.
What it's doing, and what that often means
- Blowing warm air. Often a failed capacitor or contactor in the outdoor unit, so the compressor and the fan get no power. Sometimes a refrigerant leak.
- Won't start, or hums and stops. Most often a dead capacitor or a seized fan motor. Sometimes the thermostat has stopped sending its signal.
- Iced lines, or water by the indoor unit. Ice usually means too little air across the coil, often from a clogged filter, or refrigerant run low from a leak. Water on the floor is often a blocked drain line.
- Turns on and off every few minutes. The trade calls it short cycling. A system sized too big for the house does it, and so does one that is low on refrigerant.
- A new noise. A rattle is often a loose panel or a fan blade. A squeal is usually a worn motor.
Refrigerant runs in a sealed loop, so a low charge usually means a leak somewhere. Refrigerant added without fixing the leak usually leaks back out.
Two things to check before you call
The thermostat: set to Cool, a few degrees below the room, with fresh batteries if it takes them. The filter: if it's gray and matted, change it. A clogged filter alone can stop the cooling.
If the lines are iced, turn the cooling off at the thermostat. Let the ice melt while you wait for us.
The repair visit
- Visit fee
- $89
- We find the fault and write it down. The $89 comes off the bill if we do the repair.
- Arrival window
- 2 hours
- Sent by text, then a second text when your technician is on the way.
- Warranty
- 1 year
- Parts and labor on every repair and installation.
Nights and weekends cost the same as a Tuesday morning.
How a repair visit goes
- Send the form or call (310) 857-2520. We text back within 15 minutes, 7am to 9pm, with a 2-hour window.
- Shoe covers go on at the door. About 45 minutes of tests follow, and every reading is written down, from refrigerant pressures to the amp draw on each motor.
- You get the record and the repair price in writing. Nothing starts until you say yes.
- Most repairs finish on the spot from parts on the truck. The old part is left with you.
What the price depends on
After the visit fee, the repair price is set by what the tests find:
- The part that failed. Capacitors and contactors are small parts. A fan motor costs more, and a compressor more again.
- Whether the system has a refrigerant leak, and where it is
- The refrigerant. R-22 went out of production in the US, so what is left of it costs more.
- Where the equipment sits: a side yard, a hot attic, a hall closet or a roof
- Whether the part is still made for a system of that age
What you get
The record. You keep it whether or not you hire us for the repair. It shows:
- The system, and what you told us it was doing
- Every reading, before the repair and after it
- The part that failed, and why
- What we checked and found sound
- What we couldn't reach, and why
- The repair price, and the repair-or-replace line with your numbers in it
Send it to whoever decides, or show it to another company for a second price.
Repair or replace
Multiply the system's age by the repair price: age in years, price in dollars. Under 5,000, we recommend the repair. Over 5,000, you get the repair price and a replacement price side by side, and you choose. If the system runs on R-22, we always price both.
Questions about AC repair
Do you charge to come out?
Yes. The visit is $89 and comes off the repair. We find the fault and give you the price in writing before any work.
Do you fix systems you didn't install?
Yes. Any make, whoever put it in. The visit and the record work the same way.
What if the repair doesn't hold?
We come back. Every repair and installation we do carries a one-year warranty on parts and labor. If our work or a part we fitted fails within a year of the day we finished, we come back and put it right at no charge. It is separate from the manufacturer's warranty on the equipment.
It quit at night. Can it wait?
Often, yes. If nobody at home is at risk from the heat, switch it off and take the first window tomorrow. If someone is, see emergency repair and call now.