Most HVAC problems can wait until normal business hours. A handful cannot. This list is what we tell customers when they call our 24/7 line and ask "is this an emergency?"
The six situations that warrant a same-night call
1. Burning, electrical, or chemical smell
Each one has its own smell: burning insulation, hot wiring, refrigerant escaping from a broken line. A smell does not always mean a fire is coming, but it is always above the "can wait" line. Kill power at the breaker and call from another room. The thermostat switch leaves the unit live.
2. No cooling during a heat wave with vulnerable household
Above 85°F indoors, a Houston-area home is a real risk for infants and elderly people, and for anyone with a heart or lung condition. Pets too. If the AC is out and the house keeps getting hotter, call that night. While you wait, close the blinds and run fans. Cool showers help. Drink water, and if it gets bad, go somewhere public with AC.
3. No heat during a hard freeze
Houston does not freeze hard often, but it happens. Below about 25°F, pipes in an unheated house can freeze within a few hours. Drip the indoor faucets and open the cabinet doors under the sinks. One space heater is fine if someone stays in the room with it. Then call us.
4. Ice on the indoor coil or refrigerant lines
Ice comes from low refrigerant or weak airflow, sometimes both. Do not let it keep running. Set the system to "off" and the fan to "on" to thaw the coil, and while it thaws, check the easy stuff: a loaded filter, a blocked return, a dirty coil. If those look fine and the ice comes back, call us. Running a frozen system damages the compressor.
5. Active water leak you cannot stop
It might be an overflowing drain pan or a clogged primary drain backing up into the house. Sometimes it is condensate off the refrigerant line, dripping through a ceiling. Cut power, put a bucket under it and call. We can usually clear a primary clog the same visit.
6. Loud mechanical noise (grinding, screeching, banging)
A loud new noise that will not stop usually points to a failing bearing or blower wheel. Sometimes it is the compressor. All of them get worse fast. Cut power and call before it grinds itself apart.
What is not actually an emergency
- System running but not cooling as much as usual on a 100°F day. Set the target higher and book a daytime service call.
- Higher-than-expected electric bill. Service call.
- Slight increase in noise from the outdoor unit. Service call.
- Thermostat blank screen. Try fresh batteries first. Still blank in the morning? Service call.
- One room too warm or too cold. Worth fixing, but it can wait for a daytime visit.
What to do while waiting on the tech
- If anything smells electrical or burnt, cut power at the breaker.
- Move pets and people away from the affected area.
- If water is leaking, get a bucket under it and keep clear of anything electrical while you are standing in water.
- If it is hot inside, close the blinds and run fans. Drink water. Go somewhere with AC if you can.
- If it is cold inside, drip the faucets and open the sink cabinets. Layer up. Use one space heater, in the room you are in.
- Take photos of anything that looks wrong before we get there. The tech can use them.
How our emergency dispatch works
We answer 24/7 at 281-992-7866. The diagnostic costs the same at 9 PM as at 9 AM, for every customer, and there is no emergency surcharge. How soon a tech reaches you depends on the weather and how many calls are ahead of yours. Before the tech arrives, you get a text with their photo and a short bio.
A real emergency doesn't check business hours. Neither do we: 281-992-7866, answered 24/7.