--- title: "AC Repair in Columbia, TN | Root House" url: https://roothousemechanicals.com/service-areas/columbia-tn/ac-repair updated: 2026-09-29 business: "Root House Mechanicals" phone: "(615) 426-9344" text: "(615) 426-9344" email: info@roothousemechanicals.com hours: "Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m." --- # AC Repair in Columbia, TN > Root House handles AC repair for Columbia homes, from a unit that won't start to one that runs all afternoon and never catches up. HVAC work is done by licensed and insured techs, so one call covers the whole job. Looking at the problem costs you nothing. Call or text (615) 426-9344. - Call (615) 426-9344 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) - Text (615) 426-9344 - Email: info@roothousemechanicals.com ## Why does a Columbia summer work an AC so hard? Because it's fighting humidity as well as heat. Summers in Columbia are hot and muggy, and an air conditioner pulls moisture out of the air as it cools. That water drips off the indoor coil into a pan and leaves through a small drain line. Through a long humid stretch, the system runs for hours and that line carries a surprising amount of water. When algae or dust clogs it, the pan overflows, or a float switch shuts the whole system down to prevent a leak. That can look like a dead AC when the real fix is a clear drain. A system that runs constantly but leaves the house feeling clammy is a different story. It may be low on refrigerant, have a dirty coil, or be sized wrong for the house, and each of those is a different repair. ## Does the age of your Columbia home change what goes wrong? Often it does. Census estimates put the median Columbia home at around 1981, and the city has everything from houses built well before central air existed to subdivisions finished in the past few years. In an older house, air conditioning was usually added later, so the ductwork may snake through a crawl space or attic with tight turns and long runs. Rooms at the far end of those runs are the ones that never quite cool. A newer house usually has a system designed along with it. Its early problems tend to be smaller: a failed capacitor, a tripped float switch, a thermostat setting. We'll tell you whether the trouble is the equipment or the way air moves through the house. ## What approvals come with moving or replacing an outdoor unit in Columbia? Replacing AC equipment is mechanical work. Inside city limits, the City of Columbia's building inspectors inspect mechanical installations, and the permit fee is based on the value of the job. Columbia also has five historic districts, and changes to the outside of a house in one of them go through the Historic Zoning Commission's review, called a Certificate of Appropriateness. If a new outdoor unit would sit somewhere visible from the street, ask the city before the work is scheduled. ## What ac repair covers - **Diagnosis.** A diagnosis starts with the simple things (the thermostat, the breaker and the filter), then moves to the electrical parts, refrigerant pressures, coils and airflow. The goal is to find the part that failed before anything is replaced. - **Electrical parts and motors.** Capacitors, contactors, fan motors, blower motors and control boards. These are common failures after a long run of hot days, and most are repairs, not replacements. - **Refrigerant leaks.** An air conditioner is a sealed system, so low refrigerant means a leak. The right repair finds and fixes the leak, then charges the system to the manufacturer's specification. Topping it off without fixing the leak only buys time. - **Frozen coils and airflow problems.** Clogged filters, blocked returns, a failing blower or a dirty coil can freeze a system solid. The repair fixes the cause, not just the ice. - **Condensate drains.** Clearing clogged drain lines, and checking the drain pan and the float switch that shuts the system off before water overflows into a ceiling or closet. - **Every common system type.** Central split systems, heat pumps in cooling mode, ductless mini-splits and package units, in homes and in light commercial buildings. More: [AC Repair across Middle Tennessee](https://roothousemechanicals.com/hvac/ac-repair) ## Urgent: AC out in the heat? 1. Keep people and pets cool. Check on older adults and infants first. Move to the coolest room or a cooled public place, and drink water. 2. If someone in the heat becomes confused or faints, call 911. 3. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and set below the room temperature. 4. Check the breaker for the AC and the indoor unit. Reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off. 5. Replace the air filter if it is clogged. 6. Then call us at (615) 426-9344. We work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Call (615) 426-9344. ## How we price it - The diagnostic visit: free. - Firm price given before any work starts. - Priced per job. Each job is priced on its own. - Why prices stay down: low overhead, and the work done right the first time with current methods, equipment and quality materials, so customers are not paying for callbacks. ## AC Repair in Columbia: common questions ### Why is water pooling around my indoor AC unit? Most often the condensate drain line is clogged and the pan is overflowing. Turn the system off at the thermostat so it stops making water, and wipe up what you can. Then call or text (615) 426-9344, and we'll get the line cleared and check why it clogged. ### My AC runs all day in July. Is that normal? On the hottest, stickiest afternoons, long run times are normal. It isn't normal if the house never gets down to your setting by evening, or if the air from the vents feels barely cool. Either one is worth a look. ### My AC quit after a thunderstorm. What should I check? Check the breakers for both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and make sure the thermostat has power. If one is off, flip it back on one time. Should it trip again, leave it off and call us, because something is drawing more current than it should. ### Why is there ice on my AC lines? Ice usually means too little air is crossing the indoor coil, from a clogged filter or a blocked return, or that the system is low on refrigerant. Turn the cooling off and run just the fan to thaw it, then call us so the cause gets fixed. ### How often should I change the AC filter in a Columbia summer? Check it every month from June through September. Long run times pull more air through the filter, and a clogged one strains the system and can freeze the coil. Hold it up to a light; if you can barely see through it, change it. ### Is a permit required to replace an AC in Columbia? Usually. A new system is mechanical work, which the city inspects inside Columbia's limits. For addresses outside city limits, check with Maury County's Building and Zoning Office. ### Who do I talk to while the AC work is going on? Us. Root House stays with the job from the first visit to the final check, so your questions go to one number: (615) 426-9344. ## Related - [Plumbing Repair in Columbia](https://roothousemechanicals.com/service-areas/columbia-tn/plumbing-repair) - [Water Heaters in Columbia](https://roothousemechanicals.com/service-areas/columbia-tn/water-heaters) - [Heating Repair in Columbia](https://roothousemechanicals.com/service-areas/columbia-tn/heating-repair) - [Electrical Repair in Columbia](https://roothousemechanicals.com/service-areas/columbia-tn/electrical-repair) - [Everything we do in Columbia, TN](https://roothousemechanicals.com/service-areas/columbia-tn)