Air Conditioner Repair in Colorado Springs

Summers in Colorado Springs are dry and the nights usually cool off, but an upstairs bedroom facing west can still sit in the 80s on a July evening — and that’s when an air conditioner tends to quit. Best Pro repairs central air conditioners in homes across Colorado Springs, from Briargate and Stetson Hills to Banning Lewis Ranch and the Broadmoor area, and in Monument and around Fort Carson.

Weather that’s hard on outdoor units

• Hail. The Front Range gets some of the most frequent hail in the country, and one storm can flatten the thin aluminum fins on the outdoor coil. Flattened fins block airflow, so the system runs longer and cools less. Lightly bent fins can be combed straight; a badly crushed coil may need replacing. If you plan an insurance claim, photograph the unit before anything is touched.
• Lightning and surges. Afternoon thunderstorms are routine in July and August. A surge can burn out the contactor or the capacitor in the outdoor unit, or the furnace control board that runs the blower — then either nothing runs, or the outdoor unit runs while no air comes out of the vents.
• Cottonwood fluff and dust. In late spring, cottonwoods along Monument and Fountain creeks shed fluff that mats onto outdoor coils, and the wind adds dust and grass clippings. With the power off at the disconnect, rinse the coil gently with a garden hose. Never use a pressure washer: it flattens the fins.
• Thin air. At 6,000 feet the air carries away less heat, so an outdoor unit here has less reserve than the same unit at sea level, and a dirty coil costs it more.

Common repairs

• The outdoor unit hums but the fan won’t turn, or nothing runs. A failed capacitor is the most frequent summer repair; next come the contactor and the condenser fan motor.
• It runs, but the air isn’t cold. A dirty outdoor coil, a clogged filter or low refrigerant. Low refrigerant always means a leak somewhere, and adding refrigerant without finding the leak only buys time.
• Ice on the copper lines or the indoor coil. Too little air across the indoor coil — a clogged filter, a weak blower — or low refrigerant. Switch the AC off and run only the fan until the ice melts, then call us; running it frozen can ruin the compressor.
• Water around the furnace. The indoor coil drains condensate through a pan and a line. A clog or a failed condensate pump makes it overflow; some systems have a float switch that shuts the AC off first.
• Short cycling. A dirty coil, low refrigerant, a thermostat in a sunny spot or a system that’s too big for the house.

A few checks before you call

• The thermostat is set to Cool, below room temperature, and its batteries are fresh.
• The breakers for the furnace and the outdoor unit are on, and so is the disconnect switch next to the outdoor unit.
• The air filter isn’t clogged.
• Don’t test the AC on a cool spring morning: most systems shouldn’t run in cooling mode when it’s below about 60°F outside.

Price and thermostats

We test the electrical parts, the refrigerant pressures, both coils, the blower and the drain, and you get the price before the repair starts. Refrigerant work is done by EPA 608 certified technicians. HVAC service call and repair prices are on our prices page. We also install Nest, Ecobee and Honeywell smart thermostats.

The AC shares its blower and control board with the furnace, so if the heat is acting up too, see furnace repair.