Cooling Repair for Ottawa Summers

Ottawa cooling systems live a hard life: idle through eight cold months, then asked to run flat-out through humidex weeks. That cycle kills capacitors, dries out contactors, and exposes any weakness in refrigerant circuits — usually on the hottest weekend of the year. We repair central air conditioners, ductless mini-splits and the cooling side of heat pumps, and our vans carry the common electrical parts so most repairs finish in one visit.

If your system is older and the honest math favours replacement, you’ll hear it straight — with a written quote for both paths so you can decide.

AC Faults We See Most

Running but not cooling

Clogged filters, frozen evaporator coils, failed capacitors or low refrigerant. The diagnostic isolates the cause before anything is replaced.

Outdoor unit dead or humming

Capacitors and contactors — the two most common summer failures in Ottawa, and quick same-visit repairs.

Ice on the lines or coil

A starving system: airflow restriction or a refrigerant leak. Running it iced risks the compressor — shut cooling off and call.

Breaker trips when the AC starts

Failing compressors draw hard on start, but so do shorted fan motors and tired capacitors. We test rather than guess.

Water around the indoor unit

Blocked condensate drains and pans — a small fix that prevents ceiling and floor damage.

Mini-split acting up

Blinking lights, dripping heads, zones that won’t cool — ductless units log fault codes we read properly.

Transparent Pricing

• Residential service call: $89 + tax — full on-site diagnostic and a written, fixed-price quote before any work.
• Commercial & gas-fired equipment: $129 + tax.
• After-hours (9 PM–7 AM): $100 flat emergency fee on top of regular rates.
• 3-month warranty on parts and labour.

Repair, Maintenance & Replacement

Beyond breakdowns, we handle seasonal AC maintenance (filters, coil cleaning, pressures, electrical checks, condensate) and provide written replacement quotes when a system has genuinely reached the end. For heating-season service, see our furnace repair and heat pump repair pages, or the full HVAC Ottawa overview.

Ottawa AC Repair — FAQ

My AC is running but the house isn’t cooling. What’s wrong?

The most common causes are a clogged filter choking airflow, a frozen evaporator coil, a failed capacitor on the outdoor unit, or low refrigerant from a leak. The diagnostic pinpoints which – and you get a written quote before any repair.

Why is there ice on my air conditioner lines?

Ice means the system is starving – restricted airflow or low refrigerant. Shut the cooling off (fan-only is fine) so the coil thaws, and book a diagnostic. Running it iced can damage the compressor.

Do you service ductless mini-splits?

Yes – wall-mounted ductless units and multi-zone systems are a growing share of our cooling calls, for both repair and maintenance.

What does AC repair cost in Ottawa?

The diagnostic is $89 + tax residential ($129 commercial) with a written quote before any repair. Common repairs like capacitors, contactors and fan motors are typically modest; refrigerant and compressor work is quoted clearly before you commit.

Do you offer AC maintenance or tune-ups?

Yes – a seasonal check covers filters, coils, refrigerant pressures, electrical connections and condensate drainage, which is the cheapest way to avoid a heat-wave breakdown.