Every fault below comes from real call-outs across Durban and surrounding areas. Some have a quick check you can try yourself before booking anyone — where that's true, we say so. When a visit is needed, the diagnosis is done with a signal meter, quoted before work starts, and covered by our 12-month workmanship warranty. New to this part? Start with the compressor component guide.
1. Unit runs but never gets cold
What you'll see: The indoor unit powers on, the fan runs and the remote responds, but the air coming out is room temperature or barely cool. The outdoor unit may be silent, or running without the fan turning.
Why it happens: Most often this is a loss of refrigerant charge from a leak in the pipework or at a flare joint, a failed run capacitor leaving the compressor unable to start, or a contactor that is not closing. Genuine compressor seizure is the least common of these, though it is the one people assume first.
How we fix it: We measure suction and discharge pressures to see whether refrigerant is present and circulating, test the capacitors under load, and check whether the contactor is actually pulling in. That sequence separates a part worth a few hundred rand from a compressor failure before anyone quotes for the expensive option.
2. Outdoor unit trips the breaker when it starts
What you'll see: The unit works for a moment and then the circuit breaker trips, usually at the instant the outdoor compressor tries to start. Resetting the breaker gives you the same result again.
Why it happens: Compressor start-up draws several times the running current, so anything that raises that draw will trip protection. A degraded start capacitor, a compressor with failing motor windings, a condenser coil so blocked that head pressure is abnormally high, or an undersized or shared circuit are the usual causes.
How we fix it: We measure start and run current against the unit rating plate, insulation-test the compressor windings, and inspect the condenser coil and the supply circuit. Where the fault is electrical supply rather than the unit itself, we say so — rewiring a circuit is electrician work, and we will not sell you a compressor to solve it.
Full outdoor unit trips the breaker when it starts troubleshooting guide →
3. Loud humming from the outdoor unit with no start
What you'll see: The outdoor unit hums or buzzes audibly but the compressor never spins up. After a few seconds the internal overload cuts it out, and the cycle may repeat.
Why it happens: Almost always a failed start or run capacitor, or a compressor whose windings or mechanical bearings have seized. The hum is the motor energised and straining against a load it cannot turn.
How we fix it: We test the capacitor against its rated microfarad value, which is a quick and definitive check, and only if that passes do we insulation-test the compressor. Where a capacitor is at fault the repair is usually completed on the same visit.
Full loud humming from the outdoor unit with no start troubleshooting guide →
Symptom doesn't match any of these?
Faults overlap — a "compressor problem" is sometimes another link in the chain wearing a disguise. Describe what your system is doing on 069 507 6822 (or WhatsApp a photo of the error screen) and we'll tell you which component it actually sounds like, free, before anything is booked.