Emergency AC repair in Crestview

The first hour

Do these in order. Most take a minute.

1. Thermostat. Set to cool, a few degrees below room temperature. If the screen is blank, replace the batteries.
2. Breakers. There are usually two: one for the indoor air handler and one for the outdoor unit. Reset a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, leave it off. Repeated trips mean a fault that needs a technician.
3. Float switch. Look at the indoor air handler. If the drain pan has standing water, or a small switch on the drain line has tripped, the system shut itself off on purpose because the condensate drain is clogged. Clearing the drain often gets it running. See AC drain line clogs for how.
4. Filter. A clogged filter can freeze the coil. Swap it.
5. Ice. If the copper lines or coil are iced, set the system to off and the fan to on. It needs to thaw fully, which can take hours. Don't keep running cooling on a frozen coil.
6. Outdoor unit. Is the fan spinning? If it hums but the fan doesn't turn, that often points to a capacitor. Don't open the panel; capacitors hold a charge.

Getting through the night

Where you live changes how bad the night is. Crestview usually cools off: the July average low at Bob Sikes Airport is 72°F, and only 10 nights a year stay at 75°F or warmer. Near the water it doesn't. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach airport averages a July low of 78°F and 106 nights a year at 75°F or above. In Crestview, opening windows after midnight can help a little. On Okaloosa Island or in Destin it mostly lets in wet air.

• Close blinds on the sun side and keep doors to unused rooms shut.
• Run ceiling fans and box fans. They move air across skin; they don't cool the room.
• Move people who handle heat poorly to the coolest room, or to a relative's place.
• If you run a portable generator, it goes outdoors, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. The CDC says never inside the home or garage, even with the doors open.

Heat illness signs

The National Weather Service and CDC describe two levels. Heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, cold pale clammy skin, a fast weak pulse, nausea, muscle cramps, tiredness, dizziness, headache, fainting. Move the person somewhere cooler, loosen clothing, apply cool wet cloths, and give sips of water. Get medical help if symptoms get worse or last longer than an hour.

Heat stroke is an emergency: a high body temperature, hot red skin that may be dry or damp, a fast strong pulse, confusion, or passing out. Call 911 and cool the person down while you wait. Older adults and infants are at higher risk, and an AC outage in a closed-up house is how it happens.

After-hours service

We won't promise a time. Some local HVAC companies take calls at night and on weekends, and some don't. When the company calls you back, ask whether they can come tonight and what the after-hours or weekend rate is before they send a truck. Ask what the diagnostic fee is and whether it counts toward the repair.

If the fix is a part like a capacitor or contactor, it is a short job. If the technician says the system needs replacing at midnight, I'd get it running with a repair if one is possible and get the replacement quoted in daylight. Ask for the failed part by name and a photo. See is this AC quote fair.

If you rent off base, your landlord is responsible under Florida law for the things the lease and statute cover; see renting in Florida with a broken AC. On-base housing at Eglin AFB or Hurlburt Field goes through the base housing office or its privatized housing partner, not through us.

After Hurricane Isaias, a declared emergency covered Okaloosa and Walton counties, and Florida's price gouging law covers services too. If a repair price looks like a gross jump from normal, report it to the Attorney General at 1-866-9NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226). More in AC after a hurricane or flood.