Air Conditioning Repair & Breakdown

Common faults

System running but not cooling — often low refrigerant from a slow leak, or a failing compressor

Water leaking from the indoor unit — usually a blocked condensate drain

Unit not turning on at all — electrical fault, control board issue, or tripped safety cut-out

Ice forming on the indoor or outdoor unit — often refrigerant-related, sometimes airflow restriction

Unusual noise — loose panels, failing fan motor, or debris in the outdoor unit

Repair vs. replacement

As a rough guide, a repair costing more than roughly a third of the price of a full replacement — especially on a system already 8–10+ years old — is often better spent on a new, more efficient unit. This is particularly relevant for older systems still running R22 refrigerant, which is no longer legally available to top up (see our R22 guide).

Emergency breakdown callouts

Commercial clients in particular often need a guaranteed response time — a server room or comms room losing cooling can become an urgent issue within hours, not days. It’s worth asking any installer directly what their actual response-time commitment is, in writing, rather than assuming “emergency callout” means the same thing to every company.

Getting an accurate diagnosis

A proper fault diagnosis involves checking refrigerant pressures, electrical readings, and airflow — not just a visual inspection. Be wary of a callout that jumps straight to “needs a full regas” without first confirming there’s actually a leak, since unnecessary regassing is both a waste of money and, if done carelessly, an F-Gas compliance issue for whoever’s doing the work.