Seasonal tune-up and full diagnostic on your Carrier, Trane, or Goodman system - readings shown to you before any repair is proposed
Diagnosis first, numbers second - you approve the repair price before a single part goes in.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterA/C Running Constantly and Never Shutting Off
An air conditioner that runs without stopping almost always means one of three things: the system can’t reach the temperature you’ve set, something is blocking heat transfer, or a control component has failed and the unit doesn’t know to stop. In most cases a trained technician can diagnose the cause in a single visit. Until then, your house stays uncomfortable and your energy bill keeps climbing.
A normally functioning central air conditioner cycles on, cools the space down to your thermostat setting, and shuts off. That cycle might run 15 to 20 minutes in moderate heat, longer on a very hot day. When the system never shuts off at all, or runs for hours without the indoor temperature moving, something has broken down in that cycle. It could be a dirty coil, a refrigerant problem, a failing thermostat, or a unit that’s simply too small for the load it’s being asked to carry. The right fix depends on which one it is, and a free written estimate from your local Brandt HVAC team will tell you exactly what you’re looking at before any work starts.
Why It Happens
1. Dirty or Frozen Evaporator Coil
The evaporator coil sits inside your air handler and is where the refrigerant actually absorbs heat from the air in your home. When it’s coated in dust and debris, or when airflow is restricted enough to cause ice to form on it, it can’t do that job efficiently. You can often tell this is the problem if you feel weak airflow from the vents, or if you look at the indoor unit and see frost or ice forming on the refrigerant lines or the coil housing itself. Turn the system to “fan only” and let it thaw before a technician arrives – running it with a frozen coil can cause additional damage.
2. Low Refrigerant (a Leak in the System)
Refrigerant is the substance that moves heat from inside your home to the outside. If there’s a leak in the refrigerant circuit, the system loses its ability to transfer heat effectively, so it runs and runs trying to hit a target it can no longer reach. Signs that refrigerant is low include a hissing or bubbling sound near the indoor or outdoor unit, ice forming on the lines even on a hot day, and air coming from your vents that feels cool but not cold. Adding refrigerant without finding and repairing the leak is a short-term fix – the right repair addresses the source.
3. Thermostat Failure or Miscalibration
The thermostat is the system’s brain. It reads the room temperature and signals the unit to stop when the setpoint is reached. If the thermostat is reading the temperature wrong, or if it’s lost the ability to send the “off” signal, the system just keeps running. A simple check: stand near the thermostat when the display says the room is at your set temperature. If you can tell by feel that the room is clearly already cold enough, the thermostat is lying to the system. This is one of the more straightforward fixes, but it requires a technician to verify calibration and wiring before swapping anything.
4. Undersized or Aging Equipment
An air conditioner that was never the right size for your home will struggle every warm day of its life and run constantly trying to keep up. An aging unit that’s losing capacity has the same problem – its components are worn and it can no longer move as much heat as it used to. You’ll notice this most on the hottest days: the unit never stops, the house slowly gets warmer instead of cooler, and energy bills are higher than they should be for the square footage you’re cooling. A capacity assessment is part of any thorough AC Repair diagnosis.
What to Do Right Now
- Check your air filter. A clogged filter is one of the most common reasons an evaporator coil ices over and airflow collapses. Pull the filter out (it’s usually at the return air vent or inside the air handler cabinet). If it’s gray and packed with dust, replace it with one of the same size before you do anything else.
- Look at the thermostat settings. Make sure it’s set to “cool,” not “fan” or “heat,” and that the setpoint is actually below the current room temperature. It sounds basic, but a mis-set thermostat is a surprisingly common culprit.
- Check for ice on the indoor unit or refrigerant lines. If you see frost or ice, switch the system to “fan only” on the thermostat – this lets the coil thaw without running the compressor further. Do not try to chip the ice off. Photograph what you see so the technician knows what the system looked like when the problem started.
- Do not open the outdoor unit or the refrigerant lines. Refrigerant is under pressure and requires certified handling. The electrical components in an outdoor condenser carry enough current to be genuinely dangerous. If you suspect a refrigerant leak or an electrical fault, stop and call a professional – this is not a DIY situation.
- Note how long the system has been running continuously. An hour is different from three days. Write down when you first noticed the problem and whether the house has been getting any cooler at all. That history helps a technician zero in on the cause faster.
How We Fix It
When your local Brandt HVAC technician arrives, they’ll start with a full system diagnosis before touching anything: checking static pressure and airflow, inspecting the evaporator and condenser coils, measuring refrigerant levels, testing the thermostat signal, and reviewing the electrical controls that govern the on/off cycle. That diagnostic tells them exactly what’s failed and what’s needed to fix it.
Most causes of a non-stop running AC fall under our AC Repair service, and many are resolved in a single visit – a coil cleaning, a refrigerant leak repair and recharge, or a thermostat replacement. If the system’s filter or coil condition points to deferred maintenance as the root cause, a thorough AC Maintenance appointment addresses that directly and helps prevent the same failure from repeating.
Before any work begins, you get a written price – exact and specific to your job. No work starts until you’ve seen that number and agreed to it. Every repair is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair fails within the guarantee period, we come back at no charge. No argument about it.
Most diagnostic and repair visits run two to three hours depending on what’s found. If a part needs to be ordered, we’ll schedule the follow-up and give you a clear timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on what’s causing it. A frozen evaporator coil left running can damage the compressor, which is the most expensive component in the system. A refrigerant leak that goes unaddressed gets larger and more expensive to repair over time. On a very hot day, a system that can’t cool the house is also a health concern, especially for young children or older adults. Don’t assume it can wait a week – call (984) 538-9003 and describe what you’re seeing, and our team will help you judge how urgent it is.
Someone answers our phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – nights, weekends, and holidays included. Call (984) 538-9003 and a live person will pick up, not a voicemail and not an automated system. Your local Brandt HVAC team will work to get a technician to you as quickly as schedules allow. Before the visit, you’ll receive the technician’s name and photo so you know exactly who to expect at the door.
You’ll have a written price in hand before any work begins – that’s not a policy we sometimes follow, it’s how every single Brandt HVAC job works. The technician diagnoses the problem, then gives you the exact price for that specific repair in writing. You decide whether to move forward. No pressure, no surprise invoice at the end.
That’s a fair question, and the honest answer depends on what the technician finds. If the repair needed is straightforward and the rest of the system is in decent shape, a repair often makes sense. If the unit has multiple failing components, is severely undersized, or has lost significant capacity to age, the technician will tell you that plainly so you can make an informed call. What we won’t do is recommend a replacement to run up a ticket when a repair is the right answer. Call (984) 538-9003 and start with the free written estimate – that conversation will give you what you need to decide.
Get It Fixed
Call (984) 538-9003 right now and a live person will answer. Your local Brandt HVAC team will schedule a visit, send you your technician’s name and photo ahead of time, and arrive with a written price before any work starts. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every repair we make.
Written by Devin Marlowe, Owner and Lead HVAC Technician at Brandt HVAC, part of the Threshold Group family of home-service companies, established 2003.
What Our Customers Say
"Drain line was clogging and causing a leak by the air handler. They cleared it and installed a float switch so it can't flood again."
- Nora T."AC stopped cooling on a hot afternoon. Tech arrived with a badge, checked the capacitor, found it bad, and replaced it on the spot. House cooled down within the hour."
- Steve P."Furnace ignitor went out on a cold morning. Part was on the truck, installed in thirty minutes."
- Alvin K.