Homeowners' pick for heating and cooling across Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic
AC Repair — Book a Visit Today
We repair residential air conditioning across Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the fastest next step is to call us with your thermostat setting and what the outdoor unit is doing. Most failures we find are one of a few things: a failed run capacitor, a seized condenser fan motor, a refrigerant leak that has starved the coil, a clogged condensate line that tripped a safety switch, or a compressor that will not start. A visit starts with your description, then we check the thermostat call, the electrical side at the disconnect, airflow through the filter and coil, and pressures on the refrigerant circuit. You get the cause, the repair options, and what we can do that day. Turn the system off if it is icing over, and call us.
Call (888) 365-6280- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM ET
The AC symptoms we hear most
- The air coming out is warm even though the unit is running Low refrigerant charge from a leak, a failed compressor, or a frozen indoor coil from restricted airflow
- Outdoor unit hums but the fan on top is not spinning Failed run capacitor or a burned out condenser fan motor
- It runs all day and the house never gets below the high seventies Undercharged system, dirty coil, duct losses in a vented crawlspace, or a unit short on capacity for the load
- The house feels clammy and sticky even when the thermostat is satisfied Oversized equipment short cycling, low airflow, or blower speed set wrong for humid weather
- System shuts itself off after a few minutes and the drain pan is wet Clogged condensate line tripping a float switch, or a plugged drain at the air handler
People call this air conditioning repair, air conditioner repair, air conditioning service or AC repair. Same visit, same written quote, same technician.
Safe things to check first
Worth a look before you call — sometimes it saves you the visit.
- 1Check the thermostat: fresh batteries, set to COOL, and the setpoint several degrees below the room temperature.
- 2Look at the breaker panel for a tripped breaker on the air handler or outdoor unit circuit, and reset it once only.
- 3Pull the filter and hold it to the light. If it is grey and packed, put in a clean one of the same size.
- 4Walk outside and clear grass clippings, leaves and mulch back from the outdoor unit so air can move through the coil, and confirm supply vents inside are open and not blocked by furniture or rugs.
How we compare to other HVAC companies
| James River Heating & Air | Big-box repair chains | Handyman listings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written quote before any work | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live answer seven days a week | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Every major brand, gas or electric | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Independent company, nobody's quota | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Local techs who know the housing stock | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
What you get on every job
The quote comes first, in writing
Covering 171 cities across Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland and 5 more.A real person answers
Open 7 days, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.Every major brand, gas and electric
Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman and more. We are not an authorized dealer for any of them.AC Repair — quick answers
How soon can someone get out for AC repair?
Call us and we will tell you honestly where you sit in the day. Hot spells fill the schedule fast, so the earlier you call the better. If the system is icing or leaking water, shut it off at the thermostat while you wait.
My AC froze into a block of ice. What should I do?
Turn the cooling off at the thermostat and leave the fan on to help the coil thaw. Ice almost always means low airflow or low refrigerant. Change the filter, then call us so we find the actual cause before it happens again.
Is it worth repairing an older air conditioner or should I replace it?
It depends on what failed and the condition of the rest of the system. A capacitor or fan motor on an otherwise sound unit is worth fixing. A failed compressor with a leaking coil on an aging system is a different conversation, and we will lay out both paths.
Do you top off refrigerant?
We find and repair the leak first. Refrigerant does not get used up, so a low charge means it went somewhere. Adding more without fixing the leak just buys a few weeks and puts strain on the compressor.
Why does my house feel humid when the AC is running?
Humidity control depends on run time and airflow. A system that satisfies the thermostat in short bursts never pulls enough moisture out. We check blower speed, charge, coil condition and duct losses, which matter a lot in damp crawlspaces.
What should I do if I smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide?
Get everyone out of the building first, then call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Do not flip switches or use the thermostat. Once the utility clears the property, call us and we will inspect the heating and cooling equipment.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call or fill in the form and describe what changed. Warm air, short cycling, a smell, water near the indoor unit. Details like that help us load the right parts before we leave.
- Step 2
We diagnose the whole system
We check the thermostat, the indoor unit, the outdoor unit and the ductwork, including runs in crawlspaces where damp air and loose joints quietly cause weak airflow and long run times.
- Step 3
You approve the fix
We explain what failed, what it takes to repair it, and what we would watch next season. Nothing gets replaced without your yes, and we clean up before we leave.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Humidity is our home groundMuggy summers and damp shoulder seasons drive most of the calls we take. We look at moisture and airflow together, not the cooling number alone, because a clammy house often means a sizing or duct problem.
- Crawlspace ducts get checkedOlder homes across the region run supply ducts through vented crawlspaces. Crushed flex, disconnected boots and soaked insulation show up constantly, and we get under the house to look instead of guessing from the register.
- Heating and cooling bothSame crew for air conditioning repair in July and heating repair in January. We know how your furnace, heat pump and air handler share ducts and a blower, so one visit covers the whole system.
- Plain talk on repair or replaceWhen a repair makes sense, we repair it. When a system is failing in ways that will keep costing you, we say so and explain why, then leave the decision with you and your timeline.
- All major brands, gas & electricCarrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York and more, as an independent company.
- Straight answersIf a system is not worth repairing, we say so, often right on the phone.
AC Repair
Small faults become big ones on a schedule of their own
Describe the symptoms and we'll book the visit — takes about a minute.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
Rather not call? Get a free quote →