Cooling · EPA Certified · South Shore MA
AC Repair
Not cooling, frozen up, running constantly, or making a noise it never made before. We find the actual cause instead of topping off refrigerant and calling it fixed—because a system low on refrigerant has a leak, and topping it off just means you pay us again in July.
Check Two Things Before You Call
The air filter. A filter packed solid restricts airflow across the coil until the coil freezes into a block of ice. Then no air moves at all and it looks like the system died. If you find ice, shut the system off at the thermostat, leave the fan running, and let it thaw for a few hours before running it again.
The outdoor disconnect and the breaker. There is a small box on the wall near the condenser. Storms trip these, and so do landscapers. Check the panel too—an AC on a tripped breaker is a five-second fix.
If the breaker trips again immediately, stop resetting it and call. Repeated tripping usually means a failing compressor or a short, and forcing it makes the repair bigger.
What the Symptom Usually Means
Running but not cooling
Low refrigerant from a leak, a failed capacitor, a dirty condenser coil, or a compressor that is running but no longer pumping.
Outdoor fan spins, no cold air
Often a failed run capacitor on the compressor. Inexpensive part, common failure, and easy to confirm with a meter.
Ice on the coil or line
Airflow restriction or low refrigerant. Nearly always a clogged filter, a dirty evaporator coil, or a leak. Ice is a symptom, never the problem itself.
Water around the air handler
Clogged condensate drain or a failed pump. Worth calling on quickly—this is how AC problems turn into ceiling damage.
Short cycling
Turning on and off every few minutes. Electrical fault, thermostat placement, or a system oversized for the house—common when someone sized by square footage alone.
Humid even when cool
Usually an oversized system. It cools fast, shuts off before it can pull moisture out, and the house feels clammy. A common complaint in older South Shore homes.
Refrigerant: What You Should Expect Us to Say
Refrigerant is not fuel. It does not get used up. A sealed system holds the same charge for its entire life, so if you are low, you have a leak—and anyone who adds refrigerant without finding it is selling you the same repair every summer.
We locate the leak, tell you what it costs to repair versus what the system is worth, and let you decide. Sometimes the honest answer is a top-off to get you through the season while you plan a replacement—we will say that plainly rather than pretending it is a permanent fix.
One thing to know if your system is older: R-22 has not been produced since 2020 and what remains is expensive. On an R-22 system with a significant leak, replacement is usually the better spend. Newer systems use R-410A, which is itself being phased down in favor of R-32 and R-454B.
Coastal Homes Wear Out Faster
If you are in Hull, Scituate, Marshfield, Cohasset or along the water in Duxbury, salt air is working on your condenser every day. It corrodes the coil fins and the cabinet, and it shortens equipment life meaningfully compared to the same unit five miles inland.
Rinsing the outdoor coil with plain water a few times a season genuinely helps. When it is time to replace, coated coils are worth specifying and placement matters. We factor that in on coastal jobs rather than treating them like inland installs.
Common Questions
Repair or replace?
Under ten years with a straightforward failure—repair. Past fifteen with a compressor or major leak—replacement usually wins, and the efficiency gain is real. In between, it depends on the specific failure and what you plan to do with the house. If replacement makes sense, ask about heat pump rebates: a modern heat pump gives you the same cooling plus most of your heating, and it carries the largest incentives available.
How fast can you come out in a heat wave?
We prioritize households with elderly residents, infants, or anyone with a medical need for cooling. Tell our office when you call—it changes where you sit in the queue.
Can I prevent this?
Change filters on schedule, keep two feet clear around the outdoor unit, and get a spring tune-up before the first heat wave. Most of the July emergencies we run were visible in April.
House getting hot?
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what it takes to fix it.