Air conditioning repair
across London
Not cooling, leaking water, tripping the breaker or flashing an error code. We diagnose it properly with gauges rather than guessing, tell you what it costs to fix, and tell you honestly when a repair is not worth it.
- Diagnostic visit 89 pounds plus VAT, waived if we do the repair
- Any make, including systems we did not install
- Next working day across north London where the diary allows
- Written report on what failed and why
Most common faults are fixed on the first visit, because the van carries the parts that fail.
- Electro Heating LimitedCompany 12609754, registered in England and Wales
- NICEIC and Gas Safe registeredHeld by the parent company
- MCS certifiedFor heat pump and solar work
- 10+ years in LondonSame engineers, same company
Most air conditioning faults are one of five things, and four of them are fixable on the first visit.
The diagnostic visit is 89 pounds plus VAT and it is waived if you go ahead with the repair the same day. We will not quote a repair over the phone from a symptom, because that is how people get sold a compressor they did not need.
Work out what is wrong before you call
| What it is doing | Most likely cause | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Running but not cooling | Low refrigerant charge from a leak | £400 to £700 with recharge |
| Nothing happens at all | Capacitor, contactor or the isolator switched off | £120 to £280 |
| Water dripping inside | Blocked condensate drain or pump | £120 to £220 |
| Ice on the pipework | Low airflow or low charge | £95 to £600 depending on cause |
| Trips the breaker | Compressor winding or a damaged cable | £180 to £1,600 |
| Loud rattle or grinding | Fan bearing or a loose bracket | £140 to £340 |
| Smells when it starts | Biological growth on the coil | £160 deep clean |
| Error code on the display | Anything. The code narrows it in one minute | Diagnosis first |
Prices include labour and VAT is extra. If the fault turns out to be something that should still be under manufacturer warranty, we will tell you and help you claim rather than charging you for it.
Two things to check yourself first, because they are free
- The filters. Open the front of the indoor unit and slide them out. If they are grey, wash them in warm water, dry them fully and put them back. A blocked filter is the single most common reason a system stops cooling, and it costs nothing to rule out.
- The isolator. There is a switch near the outdoor unit. Gardeners, decorators and window cleaners turn it off and never mention it. Check it is on before you book anyone.
When we will tell you not to repair it
There are three situations where spending money on the old system is the wrong call, and we would rather say so than take the work:
- A failed compressor on a system over ten years old. The repair is 900 to 1,600 pounds on a machine near the end of its life, and a new system is 1,750 to 3,500 pounds with a fresh warranty and lower running costs.
- An R22 system. R22 has been banned for servicing since 2015. It cannot legally be topped up, so any refrigerant fault on an R22 system means replacement.
- Repeated leaks on the same joint set. If the original flares were made badly, fixing one leak just moves the problem to the next joint.
The R22 question
If your system was installed before about 2004 it may contain R22, which has been illegal to use for servicing since January 2015 under the ozone-depleting substances rules. A system with R22 in it can keep running until it develops a refrigerant fault, and at that point it cannot be repaired legally. We identify it on the first visit from the nameplate rather than letting you find out later.
Repair questions
Why is my air conditioning not cooling?
The four common causes, in the order we find them: a blocked filter starving the coil of airflow, a low refrigerant charge from a slow leak, a failed capacitor stopping the compressor or fan from starting, and a control or sensor fault that has put the unit into a protective mode.
A blocked filter you can fix yourself in five minutes. The other three need gauges. If the outdoor fan is spinning but the room is not getting cold, it is usually charge or compressor.
How much does an air conditioning repair cost?
The diagnostic visit is 89 pounds plus VAT in London, and it is waived if you go ahead with the repair on the same visit. Common repairs then run from about 120 pounds for a capacitor to 400 to 700 pounds for a leak repair with a full recharge.
A failed compressor is normally 900 to 1,600 pounds fitted, and at that point on a system over ten years old we will tell you honestly whether replacing it makes more sense.
Why is water dripping from my indoor unit?
Nearly always a blocked condensate drain. The unit produces a couple of litres of water on a humid day, the drain silts up, the tray overflows and it comes out of the front of the case and down your wall.
Less commonly it is a coil frozen solid from low airflow or low charge, which then melts faster than the tray can drain. Turn it off, let it thaw and call us rather than running it.
Do you repair systems you did not install?
Yes, any make. A large part of our repair work is on systems fitted by companies that are no longer trading, or that fitted them badly enough that the customer will not have them back.
We will tell you in writing what is wrong, what it costs to put right, and whether it is worth doing on that system.
How fast can you get here?
Usually next working day in north London, and same day in Enfield, Barnet and Haringey where the diary allows. In the middle of a July heatwave the whole trade is stretched and we will tell you honestly what day we can actually attend rather than promising a slot we cannot keep.
Tell us the symptom and we will tell you the likely cause
Send a photo of the error code or the outdoor unit nameplate on WhatsApp. It costs nothing and it usually narrows the fault before anyone travels.