AC not cooling
AC not cooling in Longwood, Florida
If the air conditioner is producing no cool air at all, start with power and airflow: a tripped breaker or pulled disconnect, a condensate float switch that has shut an attic air handler down, or a filter so blocked the coil has frozen. Those three account for most no-cooling calls in Longwood's older housing stock.
Diagnosis
What is most likely wrong
| # | Cause | How common | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tripped breaker or pulled disconnect | Very common | Thermostat calls, nothing outside runs at all. |
| 2 | Condensate float switch tripped | Very common | Indoor and outdoor units both dead, no fault light. Common on an attic air handler once the primary pan or drain line is blocked. |
| 3 | Blocked filter, frozen evaporator coil | Very common | Weak or no airflow at the vents, ice visible on the copper line at the air handler. |
| 4 | Failed run capacitor | Common | Condenser hums but the fan does not spin, or spins only if nudged (do not). |
| 5 | Failed contactor | Common | Indoor blower runs, outdoor unit never starts, sometimes a buzz at the contactor. |
| 6 | Refrigerant leak | Less common | Gradual loss of cooling over weeks, then none. Ice or oil residue near a fitting. |
| 7 | Failed compressor | Less common | Condenser fan runs, compressor does not, or trips its overload after a few seconds. |
Before you call
What you can safely check yourself
- Thermostat set to cool, fan on auto, and set below the current room temperature.
- Both breakers — usually one for the air handler and one for the condenser. Reset a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, stop.
- The outdoor disconnect box beside the condenser: the pull-out should be fully seated.
- The filter. If it is grey and matted, replace it and leave the system off for a few hours if there is any ice.
- The condensate pan and float switch, especially if the air handler is in the attic — a full pan shuts the system down on purpose.
- The condenser coil for leaf litter and pollen packed into the fins. Rinse from the inside out with the power off at the disconnect.
Where the licensed line is
Refrigerant, capacitors and the inside of an electrical panel are not homeowner jobs. A run capacitor holds a lethal voltage after the disconnect is pulled, and refrigerant handling requires EPA Section 608 certification. In Florida the work itself is regulated: an air conditioning contractor licensed under §489.105(3) may replace, disconnect and reconnect the power wiring at the dedicated disconnect, and repair or replace disconnects, breakers and fuses on dedicated HVAC circuits — that scope exists because this is not general-purpose electrical work.
Verify any Florida contractor’s licence before you let them start work, at the DBPR licensee search.
In Longwood
Why this happens in this housing stock
Longwood’s City mechanical permit application singles out attic-located air handlers and makes attic access a condition of inspection — a sign of how often the air handler actually is up there. In a full secondary pan with a tripped float switch, that is exactly the local no-cooling call: both units dead, nothing burnt, nothing broken, just a safety switch doing its job. More on attic air handlers here.
The other local factor is canopy. Longwood and the Wekiva-area subdivisions sit under mature oak and pine, and a condenser coil packed with leaf litter and pollen is a routine finding rather than an edge case. Longwood exempts owner-occupied single-family homes from tree-removal permitting, so clearing limbs over the unit for airflow does not need a City permit. The full answer.
If the fault turns out to be the compressor, that is a replacement conversation on most out-of-warranty systems, and a full changeout in Longwood carries its own City mechanical permit at $246.61 with plans examination waived. Working through that decision.
Cost
What the fix typically costs
| What is being priced | Researched range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $75–$200 | Commonly cited Florida diagnostic or service-call fee. Some sources put Florida contractors at $65–$95, and the fee is frequently waived or credited toward the repair if the work proceeds. |
| Condensate drain / float switch | $150–$250 | Condensate drain line clearing — the routine Florida call. |
| Capacitor replacement | $80–$400 | Installed, nationally, averaging around $175. Florida-specific sources cite $85–$200 for a job that takes under half an hour. |
| Contactor replacement | $150–$350 | Parts and labour, Orlando market. |
| Refrigerant leak repair | $400–$1,600 | Refrigerant leak repair and recharge; finding the leak is most of the cost. |
| Compressor replacement | $1,500–$3,500 | Residential unit out of warranty. Quoted averages fall between $1,550 and $2,800, with an outer range of $1,100–$4,650 installed once refrigerant recovery and recharge are counted. |
These are researched market estimates, not a quote
Every money figure on this page is a published third-party range, compiled in September 2026 from the pricing guides listed in the sources at the foot of the page. They are here so you can sanity-check what a contractor offers you before you sign, not so you can hold anyone to a number they did not write. The one exception is the City of Longwood permit fee, which is the City's own published figure and is linked to its fee schedule.
Sources
- Smart Home Air & Heat, AC Repair Cost Orlando 2026 (Central Florida contractor, market ranges from 2025-2026 service data). https://smarthomeairheat.com/our-blog/ac-repair-cost-orlando-2026/
- Comfort Control Systems, “How Much Does AC Repair Cost in Florida?” 2026 price guide (third-party pricing guide). https://my-ccs.com/blog/how-much-does-ac-repair-cost-in-florida-2026-price-guide/
- HomeGuide, AC capacitor replacement cost (third-party pricing guide). https://homeguide.com/costs/ac-capacitor-replacement-cost
- City of Longwood Mechanical Permit application. https://www.longwoodfl.org/DocumentCenter/View/4604/Mechanical-Permit-application-PDF-
- City of Longwood FAQ: “Do I need a permit to remove a tree?”. https://longwoodfl.org/FAQ.aspx?QID=163
- Florida Statutes §489.105(3), definitions of Class A, B and C air-conditioning contractor. https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2024/489.105
- Florida DBPR licensee search. https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp
Figures are dated. Permit fees, rebate amounts and code cycles change — re-check the primary source before you rely on a number here.
Not getting anywhere?
Tell us the symptom, roughly how old the house is and roughly how old the equipment is. That usually narrows it to two candidates before anyone drives out.