Emergency AC Repair in Gresham, OR

After-hours calls that come in from Gresham

• Outdoor unit humming loudly while the fan blade sits still
• No cooling at all after the power blinked during a storm
• Frost or ice on the big copper line at the outdoor unit
• Water dripping through a ceiling below an attic air handler
• A hot electrical or burning smell from a vent or the outdoor unit

A lot of these turn out to be electrical. A swollen capacitor, a pitted contactor or a blown low-voltage fuse can each stop a system cold, and contractors carry those parts on the truck. That is why many emergency visits end with the house cooling down again the same evening.

Things to try before the visit

1. Turn the thermostat to Cool and drop it a few degrees under the room temperature.
2. Look at the breaker for the outdoor unit and the switch beside the furnace or air handler.
3. Pull the filter. A packed filter can ice the coil in a single afternoon.
4. If the outdoor fan is not turning, switch the system off so the compressor does not overheat.

When a hot house becomes dangerous

After the 2021 heat dome, Multnomah County found that many of the people who died lived alone and had a fan or no cooling at all. Fans help when the air is warm. Once it climbs into the 90s indoors, a fan only pushes hot air around.

If an older relative, a baby or someone with a health condition lives in the house, treat a dead AC in a heat wave as an emergency. Move them to the coolest room, close the blinds on the west side and think about a cooling center or a cooler house while you wait for the visit.

Questions about Emergency AC Repair in Gresham

Do contractors charge more after hours?

Some add an after-hours or weekend trip fee and others do not. Raise it when the contractor calls you back, before they head your way.

What can I do until someone gets here?

If the outdoor unit hums with no fan, turn the cooling off at the thermostat. If you see ice, leave cooling off and set the fan to On so the coil thaws.

Is my heat pump an emergency call too?

Yes. A heat pump is the same machine as an AC with a reversing valve added, and the line covers both. Say which one you have when you call.