AC Repair

The AC Problems We See Most Often

After four decades in Kansas City, we’ve seen it all. Some problems come up more than others.

Refrigerant leaks are common around here. Your AC uses refrigerant to move heat from inside your house to outside. When there’s a leak—and there usually is if your system is more than 10-12 years old—the refrigerant level drops. What happens then? Your air conditioner runs constantly, all day and all night. But your house stays at 78 degrees even though the thermostat is set to 72. Meanwhile, your electric bill is going through the roof because the system never shuts off. It’s trying its hardest, but it just can’t get there without the right amount of refrigerant.

Compressors die. A lot. Especially in Kansas City, where we really put these systems through their paces. Think of the compressor as the heart of your AC—it’s what pumps the refrigerant through the whole system. When it starts going bad, you’ll hear weird noises, grinding, and clicking. Sometimes it just won’t start at all. Other times, you’ll get warm air blowing out of your vents, which is the opposite of helpful. Compressor replacement isn’t cheap, we are not going to lie. But depending on how old your system is, it might make more sense to replace the whole unit. We’ll talk through your options with you either way.

Electrical problems spike during storm season. And we have storms. Kansas City’s summer thunderstorms are no joke, and the power surges that come with them? They’re can be murder on air conditioning systems. Capacitors blow, contactors fail, and suddenly your AC won’t turn on. Sometimes it trips the breaker over and over.

Sometimes you smell something burning, which is never a good sign. The good news is we stock most of these electrical parts on our trucks. Nine times out of ten, we can fix electrical issues the same day we show up.

Now here’s something that surprises people—frozen coils. I know, I know. How does an air conditioner freeze? But it happens all the time, especially when the air filter hasn’t been changed in six months (we see this constantly). When airflow gets blocked, the evaporator coil drops below freezing. Ice builds up. And then you’ve got an air conditioner that’s basically an expensive ice maker. It won’t cool your house because the ice is blocking everything. Usually, there’s a simple fix, but you’ve got to address whatever caused the airflow problem in the first place.

When to Actually Call Us

To be honest, people wait too long to call. That’s just the reality. Something seems off with the AC, but it’s still blowing cold air, so why call someone out, right? Then three weeks later, it’s 95 degrees, and the whole system’s dead.

Weak airflow is usually your first warning sign. If you’re standing in front of a vent and barely feeling anything, that’s a problem. It could be your ductwork. It could be the fan motor. Or maybe the compressor is starting to struggle. Whatever it is, it’s not going to fix itself.

 Strange noises mean you should call us. Grinding, squealing, banging—none of that is normal. Your AC shouldn’t sound like it’s trying to take off. These noises mean something mechanical is wrong, and mechanical problems get worse fast.

Water where it shouldn’t be is a big red flag. If you see puddles around your inside unit, it’s either that your drain line is clogged or that a cracked drain pan is the cause. Sometimes it’s a refrigerant leak, which is worse. Either way, water damage adds up quickly if you ignore it.

Smells are another thing people tend to ignore. Musty smell? That’s mold, probably in your ducts. Burns smell? Stop running the system and call us immediately. It could be electrical, or it could be a motor overheating. The Kansas City humidity is perfect for mold growth in AC systems, so that musty smell is more common here than in drier climates.

Your electric bill will tell you when something’s wrong, too. If it jumps 40% and you’re not doing anything different, your AC is struggling. It’s running longer, working harder, using more power—all because something’s broken. We see this constantly. People come in saying their bill doubled, and sure enough, their system has a problem that’s been getting worse for weeks.

 How We Fix Your AC

When you call, we’re not showing up to look at your thermostat and tell you to change your filter. Our techs have been doing this long enough they can diagnose any problem Kansas City air conditioners throw at us.

The first thing we do is a real diagnostic. We’re checking refrigerant levels, testing electrical components, measuring airflow, and seeing how the whole system’s actually performing. This takes time. You can’t rush it if you want to find the real problem instead of just slapping a Band-Aid on symptoms.

Then we explain what’s wrong in terms you can understand, not HVAC jargon. We’ll show you the problem if we can. We’ll tell you why it happened and we’ll let you know what it costs to fix before we touch anything. That’s the $99 service call—covers the first hour of diagnosis. Most repairs run between $99 and $350 unless you need major parts replaced. And if we’re getting into serious money, we’ll have an honest conversation about whether you’re better off replacing the whole system instead of investing money into an old unit.

 The trucks are stocked. Capacitors, contactors, motors—the stuff we replace all the time around Kansas City. That’s how we do same-day repairs. We try not to make a parts run in the middle of your service call. Get in, find the problem, fix it, get you back to feeling comfortable. That’s the goal.

 Obviously, there are times when we need to order something. You may have an older system with an uncommon  part. It could be something major. But most of the time? We’re fixing it the day we show up.

Why Waiting Makes Everything Worse

People put off AC repairs for lots of reasons. A budget may be tight, it’s still working sort of, and you hope it may make it through the summer. We get it. But here’s what happens.

That system that’s limping along? It’s using way more electricity than it should. A unit that’s low on refrigerant will run almost nonstop trying to reach your thermostat setting. You’re basically paying double on your electric bill to be uncomfortable. And that’s the best-case scenario.

The worst case? Small problems become big ones. A capacitor that’s starting to fail may cost $150 to replace. But if it completely dies, it can take out your compressor. Now you’re looking at a few thousand dollars. We’ve seen this play out hundreds of times. Someone calls us about a noise they’ve been hearing for three weeks, and by the time we get there, what could’ve been a simple fix has turned into a significant repair.

Kansas City’s humidity adds another layer to this. Your AC isn’t just cooling—it’s dehumidifying. When it’s not working right, your house gets muggy. Mold starts growing. Wood swells. It’s not just uncomfortable; it’s damaging your home.

And then there’s the health angle. If you’ve got elderly folks at home, kids, anyone with breathing issues—a broken AC in Kansas City summer heat can be legitimately dangerous. The heat index hits 105, and you’re trying to tough it out with box fans? That’s not safe. This isn’t California, where it cools off at night. Our summers are relentless.

 The Maintenance Thing Everyone Ignores

 Here’s the truth: most AC repairs are preventable. Not all of them, but most.

Annual maintenance actually matters in Kansas City. Our climate beats the heck out of these systems. During a maintenance visit, we’re cleaning coils, checking refrigerant levels, lubricating motors, and testing connections. We’re basically catching the small problems before they become expensive ones. Does it guarantee your system will never break down? No. But it dramatically reduces the odds.

And between our visits, you can do things that make a difference. Change your filter every month or two during the summer. Seriously, just do it. That alone prevents so many problems. Keep grass clippings and leaves away from your outdoor unit. It takes five minutes to avoid overheating.

Maintenance feels like one more thing on the list. But compare our $189 annual maintenance contract to a $3,000 compressor replacement. It ends up being easy math.

 Why Customers Keep Calling Us

Forty-plus years in Kansas City. That’s a great track record. We’re still here because we don’t oversell, we show up when we say we will, and we fix it right the first time.

We’re not pushing system replacements on people who need a $200 repair. We’re not selling you parts you don’t need. That’s not how you stay in business for four decades in the same community. Our techs know what they’re doing—through continuous training, the latest equipment, and techniques—but, more importantly, they’re not commissioned sales guys. They’re repair technicians.

Being local means we know Kansas City houses. We know what happens to HVAC systems when you get the temperature swings we get here. We’ve worked in the old homes in Riverside and the new builds in the expanding suburbs. We know this market.

Our service area covers the whole metro. Riverside, Gladstone, North Kansas City, Overland Park, and everywhere in between. Emergency repairs, regular maintenance, whatever you need. We’ve probably already worked in three houses on your street.

If you need AC repair, call us. (816) 436-8475. We’ll get someone out there fast, we’ll figure out what’s wrong, and we’ll fix it. That’s what we’ve been doing since 1979, and that’s what we’ll keep doing.