Air Conditioning Emergency Call-Out: What Happens

By the AirCon Doctor team · Updated 30 October 2026

Some air conditioning faults can wait for the next working day. Others can’t: a comms room heading towards a shutdown, a care home in a heatwave, a kitchen or shop that can’t trade, water pouring through a ceiling. That’s what our 24/7 emergency line, 07833 053749, is for.

This guide explains when it’s worth calling the emergency line, what we’ll ask you, what you can safely do before an engineer arrives, how the fault is diagnosed and what happens afterwards.

Is it an emergency?

Call the emergency line if:

equipment, stock or medicines are at risk from heat;
vulnerable people are in rooms that are getting too hot;
water is leaking near electrics or through a ceiling;
there’s a burning smell, smoke or repeated tripping;
a business can’t operate without cooling.

A bedroom unit that has stopped on a warm day is frustrating, but it can usually be booked as a normal repair. We reply to enquiries the same working day.

When you call

We’ll ask for:

the address and who will be on site;
what the system serves and how urgent it is;
the make and model, from the label on the indoor or outdoor unit, if you can find it;
what it’s doing: not cooling, leaking, noisy, tripping, showing a code;
access: roof, ceiling void, plant room, keys or permits.

We’ll tell you honestly when an engineer can attend and what the call-out will cost before we come. We won’t promise a time we can’t keep.

What to do before we arrive

Switch off at the remote and the isolator if there’s water, a burning smell, loud noise or repeated tripping.
Photograph any error code or flashing light pattern. It can tell us which parts to bring.
Protect what’s below a leak with a bucket and towels, and move electrical items away.
Reduce the heat load: close blinds, switch off equipment you don’t need, move people to a cooler room.
Clear access to the indoor and outdoor units.

For a server room, shutting down non-essential equipment buys time. Ask us about air conditioning hire if temporary cooling is needed.

Want it done properly? AirCon Doctor installs, repairs and services air conditioning and heat pumps across London and the South East, from our base in East Grinstead. We’re an F-Gas certified company and NICEIC approved. Get a fixed-price quote.

Diagnosis on site

The engineer’s first job is to find the cause, not just get the unit running again. That usually means reading stored fault codes and history, checking the electrical supply and components, measuring refrigerant pressures and temperatures, checking fan motors and sensors, and checking condensate drainage and pumps. Then we explain what we’ve found in plain English, with the options.

Parts and repairs

Some faults can be fixed on the first visit with parts we carry: fuses, capacitors, sensors, condensate pumps, clearing a blocked drain. Others need parts ordered from the manufacturer, such as circuit boards, fan motors and compressors. Where that happens, we’ll look at what can be done in the meantime: running a second unit, a temporary fix or hire cooling. You get a fixed price for the repair before it goes ahead.

If refrigerant is involved

Any refrigerant work is done by F-Gas qualified engineers working for our F-Gas certified company. A leak is found and repaired, not just topped up, and the work is recorded. For larger systems, GOV.UK’s leak check rules require the repair to be checked again within a month.

After the repair

You get a report of what we found and did, any F-Gas records and recommendations to prevent a repeat. Many emergencies trace back to blocked drains, dirty coils or worn parts a service would have caught. A maintenance contract helps prevent the next one. Our repair diagnosis starts from £75 + VAT. See our emergency repair page.

Quick answers

Is your emergency line really 24/7?

Yes. Call 07833 053749 at any time. We’ll tell you honestly when an engineer can attend.

What should I do while I wait?

Switch off if there’s water, burning or noise, photograph any error code, protect anything under a leak and reduce the heat load.

Will the engineer fix it on the first visit?

Often, if the parts are ones we carry. Some faults need manufacturer parts, and we’ll look at temporary measures while they arrive.

How much does an emergency call-out cost?

Repair diagnosis starts from £75 + VAT. We confirm the call-out cost before attending and give a fixed price before any repair.

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This guide is general information, checked against the sources linked on 30 October 2026. It isn’t legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, grants and product ranges change, so check the current position before you rely on it.