Central AC that won't start, won't cool, freezes up or trips the breaker. Our licensed HVAC techs find the real fault, show you the part, and price the repair in writing before touching it. If the system's done, you get the replacement number on the same sheet — sized to your house, not the old label.
No-AC emergencies answered 24/7 · homes with kids, seniors or medical equipment jump the line
Licensed & insured · 2,000+ NJ projects · 7 years · a real person answers 24/7
Central AC that won't start, won't cool, freezes up or trips the breaker. Typical price: $250 – $12K. Licensed & insured, written itemized price before work starts, no deposit, one dedicated crew. Serving all 21 New Jersey counties from Paramus. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
Most no-cooling calls come down to a short list. The capacitor — a part the size of a soda can that gives the compressor and fan the kick to start — dies more than anything else, especially in a heat wave. The contactor wears out and the outdoor unit hums but won't run. The condenser fan motor seizes. A clogged filter or a dirty coil chokes the airflow until the indoor coil freezes into a block of ice and the vents blow warm.
The one that stains your ceiling is the condensate drain. The AC pulls gallons of water out of your air every day. When the drain line clogs with algae, that water backs up into the pan and drips through the drywall below. A float switch shuts the system down before that happens. If you don't have one, we add it during any repair — it costs less than one ceiling patch.
We show you the failed part in your hand. Then you get the repair price in writing. Then we fix it. Most repairs are done on the first visit because the common parts are on the truck.
If we have to add more than a little refrigerant, the system has a leak. Topping it off without finding the leak is renting refrigerant by the summer. We find the leak with a detector and dye, tell you where it is, and price the repair. Sometimes it's a $600 fitting. Sometimes it's a coil, and that changes the math.
Two facts you should know before anyone quotes you. Old systems on R-22 (most units before 2010) can't be recharged at a sane price — production ended years ago and what's left is expensive. A leaking R-22 system is a replacement, and we'll say that plainly instead of selling you a $1,500 top-off. R-410A systems are still fully serviceable, but new equipment now uses newer refrigerants, so a badly leaking R-410A coil on a 15-year-old unit gets the honest repair-vs-replace numbers, not a guess.
We measure the house — a real load calculation, not the tonnage printed on the old unit. Oversized systems are the most common mistake in New Jersey: they cool fast, shut off, and never pull the humidity out, so the house is cold and clammy. Then we match the outdoor condenser to a new indoor coil, flush or replace the line set, set the unit on a level pad with a new disconnect and a correctly sized breaker, add a float switch on the drain, and charge it by weight and subcooling instead of "feels about right."
You get a SEER2 rating that makes sense for how you use it, a mechanical permit and inspection, the old equipment hauled away, and a startup sheet with the numbers we measured. If the ductwork is leaking into the attic — common — we'll show you with a photo and price the fix separately. You can say no.
A real person answers 24/7. If there's a baby, a senior or someone with a medical condition in the house, tell us and you move up the list. In Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Morris we're often there within the hour; the rest of New Jersey gets same-day dispatch and an honest arrival window. While you wait: set the thermostat to OFF (not just up) so a frozen coil can thaw, change the filter if it's gray, close the blinds, and run fans. Don't keep restarting a unit that trips the breaker — that's how a $300 capacitor becomes a $3,000 compressor.
Based in Paramus, serving all 21 New Jersey counties — 219+ towns. Licensed & insured HVAC techs, parts on the truck, price in writing before we start, and the electrician for the new breaker is on the same crew.
typical fixed-price range — your exact number goes in writing after a free visit
Repairs: a capacitor or contactor swap runs $250 – $450. A condenser fan motor is $500 – $900. Finding and fixing a refrigerant leak and recharging the system runs $600 – $1.8K, and a new evaporator coil is $1.8K – $3.2K. Replacement: a new condenser and matched coil on your existing furnace or air handler runs $6.5K – $12K installed; a full system with a new furnace or air handler runs $10K – $18K. The diagnostic fee rolls into any repair you approve.
How we beat the big chains: The HVAC franchises pay their techs commission on replacements — that's why the answer is always "new system." No franchise fees, no commissioned salesmen, no rented subcontractors — that's typically 15–30% under national-brand quotes for the same or better spec. Bring us any written quote and we'll match the scope line by line.
“Three summers in a row: "just needs a pound of Freon." $400 each time. Nobody ever looked for the leak.”
“The tech spent five minutes outside and came back with a $14,000 replacement quote. My neighbor's guy fixed it for $280.”
“The new system is huge, freezing, and the house still feels sticky.”
You found a crew that is actually near you. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus, in Bergen County, and our own licensed techs handle AC repair & install in all 21 New Jersey counties — no call center, no subcontractor sent from two states away. Most of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex is 15 to 30 minutes from our shop, and emergencies go to the nearest crew, 24/7.
Closest to us: Bergen CountyPassaic CountyHudson CountyEssex CountyMorris CountyUnion CountyAll 21 counties & 219+ towns →
Call (201) 676-3099, text us a photo, or book a free in-home estimate — you get a written price before any work starts.
We dispatch the same day, 24/7, and homes with infants, seniors or medical equipment go to the front. In Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Morris that's often within the hour. Most repairs are finished on the first visit because the common parts ride on the truck.
Usually one of four things: a frozen indoor coil from low airflow or low refrigerant, a dead capacitor so the outdoor unit isn't running, a tripped breaker or float switch, or a refrigerant leak. Shut the system off, check the filter, and call. Running it frozen can damage the compressor.
One day for a condenser and coil swap on an existing furnace or air handler. Two days if we're replacing the air handler or furnace too or fixing ductwork. You'll have cooling by the end of the last day, and the inspection follows within a week or two.
Yes. Replacing the condenser or the coil needs a mechanical permit and an inspection, and a new breaker or disconnect needs an electrical permit. We file both and meet the inspector. It's in the price.
Often, yes. A heat pump is an AC that also runs in reverse to heat the house, and it can carry most of a New Jersey winter with the furnace as backup. We'll price both on the same sheet so you can compare the up-front cost and the running cost honestly.
Coil cleaning, capacitor and contactor test, refrigerant pressures and temperatures, drain line flush, filter check, electrical connections tightened and amp draws recorded. You get the numbers on a sheet. If something's on its way out, you hear it in April instead of finding out in July.
If you're anywhere in New Jersey, yes. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and handles AC repair & install across all 21 counties with our own licensed crew. Most of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex is 15 to 30 minutes from our shop, and emergencies are dispatched to the nearest crew 24/7. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free in-home estimate.
24/7 no-AC calls · repair price before we touch it · honest replace math
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099
A real person picks up every hour of every day. We tell you what to shut off first, then send the nearest crew.