Serving St. Louis & Surrounding Areas
AC Repair Services in St. Louis, MO: Real Calls, Straight Answers
Your AC quit, the house is hot, and you want two things. Somebody who actually shows up, and a straight price. That is the whole job.
Liberty Heating Cooling & Plumbing is owned by Sam Marsala. Sam has worked on air conditioners since 1998, and he still answers the phone himself, nights and weekends included. Most of our AC work is in South St. Louis County, out of our shop in Oakville.
Most AC repair pages tell you what could go wrong. This one shows you what did go wrong on real St. Louis jobs, and what we did about it.
Three Real AC Calls From St. Louis Homeowners
These come straight from reviews our customers posted on Angi. Same problems you are probably dealing with right now.
The “Whole New System” That Only Needed a Cleaning
In May 2020, a homeowner’s system would not blow cold air. It was packed with dirt. Another company took one look and said she needed a whole new AC and furnace. That was more than she could handle, so she found Sam instead.
Sam told her it needed a good cleaning, not a new system. He spent close to three hours on it. Her system had no service valves, so the old refrigerant could not be saved and it needed new refrigerant. Sam told her that before he added it. When he was done, the house was cold again, and she kept the system she had.
Dirt on the coils is one of the most common reasons an AC runs but does not cool. Here are the other reasons an AC runs without cooling. And if someone is telling you to replace yours, here is how we decide whether to repair or replace an AC.
A Cut Refrigerant Line, Fixed the Same Evening
In 2018, a homeowner cut a hole in his AC’s copper line by accident while working in his garage. About 5 pounds of refrigerant leaked out, and the AC quit cooling.
Sam told him exactly what the fix would take before he started. He came out that evening, sealed the line, pumped the air and moisture out of the system, and charged it back up. The AC was cooling again that night.
Refrigerant is not something you just top off. If it is low, it leaked out somewhere, and the leak has to be fixed first. Here is how to tell if your AC is leaking refrigerant.
Found in Five Minutes, Done in Thirty
Some calls are quick. In May 2018, Sam found a homeowner’s AC problem within 5 minutes of getting there. He was in and out in about 30 minutes.
Most AC breakdowns are small parts, like a capacitor or a contactor, that wear out from our summer heat. Here are the five AC repairs we do most in Oakville. And if you are wondering whether yours is one of the bad ones, here are the signs of a failing compressor.
How an AC Repair Call Works With Liberty
- You call (314) 600-2202. Sam or someone on the crew picks up. Not a call center.
- We ask a few questions first. Sometimes it is a tripped breaker or dead thermostat batteries, and we will tell you how to fix it yourself, free. Here are six checks to try before you call anyone.
- If it needs a visit, we come out, most times the same day. The truck carries common parts, so we are not driving back and forth to get them.
- We test the whole system with gauges and meters, then tell you what is wrong in plain words.
- You know what we are going to do before we start. If we find something else, we ask before we do it.
- We fix it and clean up. All of our work comes with a warranty.
Not sure if yours can wait until morning? Here is how to tell if a broken AC is an emergency. If it is, call our 24/7 emergency AC repair line.
Some AC Problems Can’t Be Fixed Same Day in Summer
Your compressor dies on the Fourth of July weekend. Every supply house is closed until Tuesday. Even if we find the problem right away, we can’t get the part until they reopen. Or your 15-year-old Carrier needs a fan motor that nobody in town has in stock. We order it overnight, and you are still without AC until it shows up and we put it in.
That is how peak season works. Parts for common units are easy to get. Parts for older or unusual systems have to be ordered. Weekend breakdowns wait for weekday supplier hours. Older units that use R-22 refrigerant are harder still. R-22 is not made anymore, so it is getting hard to find, and on an old R-22 unit with a leak we will tell you straight when a new system makes more sense.
We will always tell you up front if we need a part and how long it will take. Here is how long AC repair usually takes.
Get Honest AC Repair in St. Louis
Liberty is family owned, licensed, bonded and insured. Our shop is in Oakville, and we fix air conditioners all over St. Louis. We are rated 4.9 on Angi, and we won their Super Service Award in 2025. Call (314) 600-2202 and you will talk to the people who do the work.
Want fewer breakdowns next summer? A yearly check catches most of the small stuff first. Here is our AC maintenance in St. Louis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Causes an Air Conditioner to Run Without Cooling Your Home in St. Louis?
When your AC runs but doesn’t cool, it’s almost always one of five things: a refrigerant leak, a frozen coil, a failing compressor, dirty condenser coils, or a failed capacitor. In every case the fan keeps running, which is why air still blows out of your vents even though it isn’t cold. Here’s a full breakdown of every cause and what to do right now.
How Do You Know Whether to Repair or Replace Your AC?
A good rule of thumb: if your AC is under 10 years old and the repair costs less than half the price of a new system, repair it. If it’s over 15 years old and needs a major component like a compressor, replacement usually makes more financial sense. Age, repair cost, and efficiency all factor in. We’ll walk you through the numbers so you can make the right call.
How Do You Know When Your Air Conditioner Compressor Is Going Bad?
The most common signs are a humming outdoor unit that never fully kicks on, a system that keeps tripping the breaker, and a house that takes longer and longer to cool down. A compressor that’s struggling will usually give you warnings for weeks before it fails completely. Catching it early is the difference between a repair and a full replacement.
How Long Does AC Repair Usually Take?
Simple repairs like a bad capacitor or a clogged drain line take under an hour. Refrigerant recharges take one to two hours done properly. Bigger jobs like compressor replacement take four to six hours. Most repairs finish same day. Parts for older or unusual units sometimes need ordering, which can add a day or two. We’ll always tell you upfront what to expect.
How Can You Tell If Your Air Conditioner Is Leaking Refrigerant?
A refrigerant leak usually shows up gradually. Your home gets harder to cool over a few weeks, your electric bill climbs for no clear reason, and you might notice ice forming on the copper lines near your indoor unit. A hissing sound near the unit is another sign. Low refrigerant doesn’t fix itself. The leak has to be found and repaired.
What Are the Most Common AC Repairs in Oakville?
The five repairs we see most often are failed capacitors, refrigerant leaks, tripped contactors, frozen evaporator coils, and bad fan motors. Capacitors top the list by a wide margin. They’re small, inexpensive parts that wear out fast from heat cycling. Most of these fixes are same-day.
What’s the First Thing to Check When Your AC Stops Working?
Before calling a contractor, run through six homeowner-fixable checks: thermostat settings, air filter, breaker panel, outdoor disconnect, condensate float switch, and a visual on the outdoor unit. A surprising number of AC-broken calls turn out to be one of these.
Is a Broken AC an Emergency in Oakville?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Indoor temps climbing past 85 with elderly residents, infants, or anyone with respiratory or heart conditions means a same-day call. Healthy adults in mild weather can usually wait. Some shops bill every call as emergency to charge after-hours rates. We don’t run that game.