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Austin AC Repair
Why Austin Air Conditioners Fail in July
An Austin air conditioner does not get a day off between May and September. It starts at sunrise, runs almost continuously through the afternoon and often does not cycle off until after midnight. Compressors run at the top of their rated range, capacitors sit in a condenser that is baking in full sun, and in most of the suburbs the air handler lives in an attic that is hotter than the outdoor unit. That is why the failures here cluster in the same few weeks every summer.
Where you live changes what breaks. In 1950s Crestview and Tarrytown houses, the weak spot is often an undersized return or an old air handler crammed into a closet. In the 1990s slab homes across Round Rock, Pflugerville and Cedar Park, it is builder-grade condensers at the end of their life and condensate drains that clog after weeks of nonstop running. Out in Dripping Springs and Spicewood, caliche dust and cedar pollen pack the outdoor coil until the unit cannot shed heat. We have repaired all of it since 1999, and we carry the parts that fail here on the truck.
For the full explanation of how AC repair works, see our air conditioner repair page.
- Since 1999 in Austin More than 25 summers of Central Texas repairs behind every technician we send.
- Price first, then the work An accurate quote before anything starts, honored for 72 hours, with no hidden fees.
- Background-checked crews Every technician is licensed, trained, background-checked and bonded.
What Austin Homeowners Notice First
Signs Your AC Is About to Lose the Summer
In this climate, a small problem in June is a breakdown in July. These are the calls we get most from Austin homes.
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The house will not get below 78 in the afternoon
The system runs all day and loses ground after 3 p.m. Often a low refrigerant charge, a dirty outdoor coil or a unit that was undersized for a west-facing Austin home from the start.
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Water on the ceiling or in the attic pan
A clogged condensate line. With the air handler in the attic, the first sign is a stain on the drywall below. Algae grows fast in Austin humidity.
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Outdoor unit hums but the fan does not spin
A failed capacitor, the single most common part we replace here. Heat kills them, and a condenser in full west sun takes the worst of it.
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Ice on the copper lines
Frozen evaporator coil. Usually airflow (a packed filter, a collapsed flex duct) or a refrigerant leak. Shut it off and call; running it frozen can damage the compressor.
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Breaker trips every afternoon
A compressor drawing too much current as it struggles in the heat, or a wiring fault at the disconnect. Resetting it repeatedly is not a fix.
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One side of the house is 10 degrees warmer
Common in Austin two-story homes and in additions. Points to duct problems in the attic or a zoning damper that failed.
What We Fix
AC Repairs We Handle Across the Austin Area
Central, split, package and ductless systems, in homes from the 1940s to this year.
- Condenser fan motors and capacitors The parts that fail first in a Texas summer. We carry the common sizes so these can often be done in one visit.
- Refrigerant leaks and recharges We locate the leak and repair it rather than topping off a system that will be empty again by August.
- Condensate drains and float switches Cleared, treated, and fitted with a safety switch so an attic air handler cannot flood the ceiling below.
- Blower motors and attic air handlers Motors, boards and wheels on the indoor side, including the tight-closet installs common in older central Austin homes.
- Thermostats and control boards Smart thermostat faults, low-voltage shorts and boards cooked by attic heat.
- Compressor diagnosis A hard-starting or failed compressor is the repair-or-replace decision. We give you the numbers both ways and let you choose.
How an Austin Repair Call Goes
From Your Call to Cold Air
The same four steps at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday or 2 a.m. on Labor Day.
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Call or book online, any hour
Tell us what the system is doing and where you are, from Buda to Georgetown. We give you a real arrival window.
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We test, not guess
Pressures, amp draws, airflow and the drain line. A warm house can be a small part or a failed compressor; you deserve to know which.
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You see the price and say go
Written, itemized and honored for 72 hours. If a replacement makes more sense than the repair, we will say so, without pressure.
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Repair, verify, clean up
We run the system through a full cycle before we leave and stand behind the work under the Home Comfort Guarantee.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
No Cooling in Austin Right Now?
We answer 24/7, holidays included, and the quote comes before the work.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
Alex performed the winter service on my unit. This business along with Alex, are very professional and upfront about everything. To be transparent, this is the maintenance included with the purchase of a unit from them. I was informed about everything to include pictures as proof. I was told that my unit is 100% and very clean and again pictures to prove it. I was reccomended this business by a friend and glad he did. The initial purchase experience was also amazing. I had contacted 5 other businesses to get quotes about a new unit as my upstairs unit failed. 2 were outrageous quotes and I am technically still waiting on the other 3. On every instance of getting a quote, I waited about 1 week. Luckily my house has two units but still, un acceptable especially during the summer. I guess they all had so much business they did not care for mine. When I called this business not only did they come out the same day, I had the new unit installed with in 48 hrs. Oh and let's not forget the quote they gave me was the lowest of all. I can say enough good things about this business. Keep up the great work.
★★★★★
We needed a new air conditioning system because ours was over 15 years old. I decided to get several estimates from different companies here in San Antonio. Each company seemed to have outrageous prices and wanted to put me into something that was above what I needed. I decided to try one more company, Schmidt Mechanical. I went on their website early in the morning and filled out my information asking for someone to contact me. By the end of the same day, Jared was sitting at our table. I told him specifically what I wanted and what I did not want, since I had gained quite a bit of information from my interaction with other companies. We had a lot of fun sitting at the table and talking about many things, but when he put pen to paper, and gave us three choices of product, service, warranties, etc., we knew right away that Schmidt Mechanical was far superior to other companies in town. We sealed the deal and decided that the following Monday would be installation day. Keeping in mind, that would be one week from the day that we sat down and closed. The very next night, our old unit decided to call it quits and we still had six more nights to go until we get the new system. I called the after hours service line and they sent someone out by 10 o’clock that night, but unfortunately the unit couldn’t even carry electricity to be repaired. They didn’t even charge me for that service call. The next morning I called the company to ask if they had any suggestions on what we could do in the meantime. They put their heads together to come up with a solution. We were very thankful to Keith when he called to tell us they were able to rearrange schedules and carve out time in order to have our new AC unit installed two days later. Schmidt Mechanical - professional, honest, dependable, excellent customer service -- a company you will not regret doing business with. Thank you Team Schmidt!
★★★★★
I would highly recommend Radiant Plumbing. After our 17 year old system broke we bought a new AC unit from Radiant. All the people I dealt with were highly professional, explained everything well and were thorough in their inspection. They were very easy to contact, including a number customers can text with concerns or questions. They kept me well informed through the whole process. They even installed at no cost a portable AC to keep us cool before the installation. The installers, Arturo and Rene, were prompt; they arrived at the exact time we were told, and were very respectful of our home.
Radiant helped us quickly; the AC broke Thursday evening, we scheduled the repairman to come Friday, and Saturday they installed the new unit. I know it isn't always able to happen that fast but it was an extra bonus and relief to finally find an AC company that is actually available and answers the phone, unlike A US Air Conditioning, and is efficient and thorough with no high pressure salesmen, unlike ARS.
Thank you Radiant!
11/4/2020 - update
Had CJ out for the system check and he was very professional, informative, and respectful. He had some recommendations and was able to get us a replacement part for free even though we were just outside the 2yr warranty. It was a very unexpected blessing and I greatly appreciate him and the whole Radiant team.
Radiant helped us quickly; the AC broke Thursday evening, we scheduled the repairman to come Friday, and Saturday they installed the new unit. I know it isn't always able to happen that fast but it was an extra bonus and relief to finally find an AC company that is actually available and answers the phone, unlike A US Air Conditioning, and is efficient and thorough with no high pressure salesmen, unlike ARS.
Thank you Radiant!
11/4/2020 - update
Had CJ out for the system check and he was very professional, informative, and respectful. He had some recommendations and was able to get us a replacement part for free even though we were just outside the 2yr warranty. It was a very unexpected blessing and I greatly appreciate him and the whole Radiant team.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
Austin AC Repair Questions
Can Radiant repair my AC the same day during an Austin heat wave?
We are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, and we schedule by the soonest available window. During a stretch of 100-degree days, call volume in Austin climbs fast, so the sooner you call the better your window. A house with no cooling and children, older adults or pets inside is treated as urgent. Most common failures, such as capacitors, contactors, fan motors and clogged condensate lines, are parts we carry on the truck, so the repair can often be finished on the same visit as the diagnosis. Pricing is the same after hours as it is at noon; there are no surprise fees for nights or weekends.
Should I turn my AC off if it is blowing warm air?
Yes, at least at the thermostat, and especially if you see ice on the copper lines or the outdoor unit is humming without the fan turning. Running a system that has lost its charge, frozen its coil or lost its fan can overheat the compressor, which turns a modest repair into the most expensive one there is. Set the fan to “on” if the indoor unit still runs; moving air will thaw a frozen coil before we arrive. Then close blinds on the west side of the house. Austin afternoon sun through glass is a large share of the heat load, and it buys you a few degrees while you wait.
My Round Rock house was built in 1998 and the AC is original. Repair or replace?
An original system in a late-1990s Round Rock, Pflugerville or Cedar Park home is well past the typical service life, and it is probably running an older refrigerant that is expensive to replace. That does not automatically mean replace. If the failure is a capacitor or a drain, fix it and keep going. If it is the compressor, a large refrigerant leak or a rusted evaporator coil, the math usually favors a new system, because you would be putting a major repair into equipment that has other parts about to go. We will lay out both numbers, in writing, and the decision is yours. Our Austin AC installation page covers what a replacement involves.
Why does my ceiling have a water stain under the attic every summer?
Because your air handler is in the attic and its condensate drain is clogging. An Austin air conditioner pulls gallons of water out of the air on a humid day, and that water leaves through a small PVC line that grows algae quickly in the heat. When it blocks, the drain pan overflows onto the drywall below. The fix is clearing and treating the line, checking the pan for rust, and, if the system does not already have one, installing a float switch that shuts the unit down before it overflows. It is one of the cheapest repairs we do and one of the most expensive to ignore. Annual maintenance keeps the line clear.
Do you repair ductless mini-splits and older window-unit conversions in central Austin?
Ductless systems, yes. They are common in Austin garage conversions, casitas and older Hyde Park and Tarrytown homes that never had ductwork, and we repair and service them alongside central systems. See ductless mini-splits for the details. We do not repair window units. If a window unit is your only cooling, we can talk through what a ductless or central system would cost, and financing through Service Finance Company is available, subject to credit approval.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.
