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San Antonio AC Repair
A San Antonio Air Conditioner Never Really Gets a Break
Cooling season here starts in April and often runs into October, and the Gulf humidity that hangs over Bexar County makes the equipment work harder than the thermometer suggests. Every hour the system runs, the indoor coil is pulling water out of the air as well as heat. That means more condensate to drain, more strain on the blower, and a compressor that logs more run hours in one San Antonio summer than most units see in two years elsewhere.
The failures follow the housing. In the two-story homes of Stone Oak and the north side, the air handler sits in an attic that reaches well past 120 degrees, and control boards, capacitors and flex duct connections give out first. In the newer subdivisions around Alamo Ranch, builder-grade condensers are reaching the age where fan motors and contactors start failing in bunches. In the 1970s and 80s ranch homes of Converse, Universal City and the northeast side near our office on Wye Drive, we see original ductwork, tired blowers and drain lines that have never been flushed. Radiant has repaired all of it since 1999, and the parts that fail here ride on every truck.
If you want the mechanics of a diagnosis, from refrigerant pressures to why we test before we replace anything, our air conditioner repair page walks through it.
- Dispatched from Wye Drive Our San Antonio office at 10927 Wye Dr. sends trucks across Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe and Kendall counties.
- No surprise fees Same pricing at midnight on a Sunday as on a Tuesday afternoon. Upfront, in writing, before we start.
- Home Comfort Guarantee If we cannot resolve the issue, a 10% inconvenience refund up to $1,000. We would rather fix it.
What We Hear on the Phone
The Six Most Common AC Complaints in San Antonio
Some of these are a $200 part. Some are the start of a bigger conversation. A proper test tells you which, and it is always worth making that call before the next 100-degree stretch.
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The house feels clammy even when the thermostat says 74
The system is cooling but not dehumidifying. Often an oversized unit that short-cycles, a fan set to “on” instead of “auto”, or a coil that needs cleaning. In San Antonio humidity this is a real comfort problem, not a quirk.
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Outdoor unit buzzes, fan stays still
A failed run capacitor. It is the single most common repair we make on the north side in July, and one that can often be finished on the first visit.
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A wet spot on the ceiling below the attic
The condensate drain is blocked and the pan overflowed. Humid summers produce gallons of condensate a day, and algae loves that PVC line. Turn the system off at the thermostat and call.
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Downstairs is fine, upstairs is 82
Classic in two-story Stone Oak and Alamo Ranch homes. Could be leaking attic ductwork, a stuck zone damper or a single system that was never sized for both floors.
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Frost on the copper line or the indoor coil
Low airflow or low refrigerant. Shut the cooling off, leave the fan running to thaw it, and do not keep restarting it. A compressor that keeps pumping into a frozen coil does not last long.
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The AC breaker trips in the afternoon heat
A compressor pulling too many amps, a weak capacitor, or a burnt wire at the disconnect. Resetting it every day is asking for a failed compressor.
What We Fix
AC Repairs We Make Across the San Antonio Area
Split systems, package units, heat pumps in cooling mode and ductless mini-splits, in homes from the historic districts to the newest subdivision off Highway 151.
- Capacitors, contactors and fan motors The parts that heat kills first. Common sizes are stocked on the truck so these can often be done in one trip.
- Refrigerant leak search and repair We find the leak and fix it. Recharging a leaking system every June costs you more than the repair within a couple of summers.
- Condensate drains, pans and float switches Cleared, treated and fitted with a shutoff switch so a blocked line stops the unit instead of soaking the drywall.
- Blowers, boards and attic air handlers Indoor-side motors and controls, including boards cooked by attic heat and the tight closet installs in older Alamo Heights and Monte Vista homes.
- Humidity and airflow problems Static pressure testing, duct leak checks and fan-speed adjustments for the clammy-house complaint that is so common here.
- Compressor testing and honest repair-or-replace math A failed compressor is the big decision. We give you both numbers in writing and tell you when the repair is the smart choice.
How It Goes
What Happens After You Call
The same steps in King William or Cibolo, on a weekday or on the Fourth of July.
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Tell us what it is doing
Warm air, no air, water, noise. We book the soonest window from our Wye Drive office and treat a house with no cooling and kids or older adults inside as urgent.
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We measure before we touch anything
Pressures, amp draw, temperature split, airflow and the drain. The symptom rarely tells the whole story in this humidity.
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You approve a written price
Itemized, honored for 72 hours, no hidden fees. If a new system makes more sense, we say so and leave the decision with you.
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Repair, test, clean up
We run a full cooling cycle and check the drain before we go. The work is backed by the Home Comfort Guarantee.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
San Antonio
HVAC
25% Off Select Air Purifiers & Filters
Expires 12/31/2026
San Antonio
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Up To $2,500 OFF Full HVAC System!
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San Antonio
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Buy a Complete HVAC System, Get a Furnace FREE!
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San Antonio
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Last Chance HVAC Tune-up $68
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Both Locations
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Up to $200 off Duct Cleaning
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Both Locations
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$99 Furnace Tune-Up
Expires 12/31/2026
AC Down in San Antonio Tonight?
We answer around the clock, and after-hours calls cost the same as daytime ones.
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
San Antonio AC Repair Questions
How fast can you get to my house on the north side of San Antonio in July?
We schedule 24 hours a day and dispatch from 10927 Wye Dr. on the northeast side, so Stone Oak, Hollywood Park, the Medical Center area and the Loop 1604 corridor are short runs for us. During a long stretch of triple-digit days, call volume across Bexar County jumps, and the earlier in the day you call, the earlier your window. Homes with no cooling and children, older adults or pets inside go to the front of the line. Because capacitors, contactors, fan motors and drain repairs are stocked on the truck, the repair can often be finished on the same visit as the diagnosis, and you pay the same price after hours as you would at noon.
Why does my air conditioner run all day but the house still feels sticky?
Because in San Antonio, removing humidity is half the job, and a system can fail at that while still lowering the temperature. The usual causes are a unit that is too large for the house, which cools the air fast and shuts off before it has wrung the moisture out; a blower fan set to run constantly, which re-evaporates water off the coil between cycles; a dirty evaporator coil; or a low refrigerant charge. Sometimes the ductwork is pulling humid attic air into the system through leaks. We test for all of these. When the equipment is simply oversized, a whole-home dehumidifier or a variable-speed replacement are the honest fixes, and we will tell you which one fits your budget.
My Alamo Ranch home is about 15 years old and the AC is original. Is it worth repairing?
Often, yes. A 15-year-old system in a 2010-era subdivision is near the end of its typical life, but if the failure is a capacitor, a contactor, a fan motor or a clogged drain, a repair is money well spent. The picture changes if the compressor has failed, the evaporator coil is leaking, or the unit runs on R-22 refrigerant, which is expensive to replace. In those cases you would be putting a major repair into equipment with other parts on the way out, and a replacement usually wins on cost over the next few summers. We put both numbers in writing so you can decide. Our San Antonio AC installation page explains what a new system involves.
Water is dripping from a pipe on the side of my house. Is that an AC problem?
Probably, and it is a warning worth heeding. Most San Antonio attic air handlers have two drain lines: a primary that runs to a plumbing drain, and an emergency line that exits through the wall, usually above a window or door. If water is dripping from that outside pipe, the primary drain is blocked and the overflow pan is catching the condensate. That pan is the last line of defense before the ceiling. Turn the system off and schedule service. We clear and treat the primary line, check the pan for rust, and install a float switch if there is not one. Regular AC maintenance is the simplest way to keep it from happening again.
Do you repair mini-splits in older San Antonio homes and garage apartments?
Yes. Ductless systems are common in Monte Vista, Alamo Heights and King William homes that were built long before central air, as well as in casitas, garage conversions and home offices across the city. We diagnose and repair them alongside conventional systems. The ductless mini-split page covers how they work. We do not service window units; if one is your only cooling, we can price a ductless or central system, 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.
