Air Conditioning Unit Repair Service

AC Repair Engineers

Our service team includes experienced AC repair engineers who are manufacture certified for the air conditioning systems we install and provide planned preventative maintenance and emergency services for. Our engineers are highly trained with access to manufacturer technical support hotlines and our extensive knowledge bank to ensure quick fault identification and fault rectification plans.

In order to meet our service fix times, our engineers carry replacement parts in their vans and can access locally stored parts.

As major supplier of air conditioners we are also very competitive when it comes to complete AC systems, assemblies and the spare parts that are sometimes needing to bring a unit back on-line.

Air Conditioner Inspections and Labour Charge Rates

Our air conditioning service engineers can inspect air conditioning systems on site or in our service workshop. Our rates are very competitive with a call out charge based on postcodes. We have hourly labour charges and most faults can be identified within the first hour. We then charge at a half-hourly rate to the nearest half-hour. Where further time is required for a repair or another visit to site is required, our service team will provide a quotation.

Air Conditioning Unit Parts Charges and Warranties

Sometimes our air conditioning engineers can repair a system without the need for additional parts. In this case, we only charge for the callout and labour. Our engineers will advise their diagnosis and the work required to make your air conditioning unit operational.

If parts or consumables are required, we will provide a quotation via our service centre team. If our engineers have the parts or consumables with them and we can obtain an authorised signature, then the engineer can fit the parts on the same visit. If we cannot get an authorised signature and/or do not have the parts our service centre team will have to book a return visit.

Service Room Environments stocks the most common consumables and parts. If your system was supplied by us and is still under warranty or supported by one of our maintenance contracts, then there may be no charge for the callout or repairs.

Replacement parts make-up most of the costs associated with repairing air conditioning units. If the air con units contain R-22 refrigerant gas or is beyond economic repair our service engineers may recommend a full system replacement. We can also arrange for environmentally friendly disposal of your existing system and have the necessary access to WEE/RoHS waste streams and Waste Carrier License.

All repairs are backed-up by a 12-month repair warranty and the remainder of the manufacturer’s warranty when supplied by Server Room Environments.

10-Point Air Conditioning Fault Checklist

There are several signs that indicate your air conditioner may need an inspection or health check visit.

1. No Power: this can be the most obvious sign of the need for a service engineer visit. The unit may be ‘dead’ but due to an upstream fault conditions. A circuit breaker may have tripped in a panel board or installed near to the AC unit. Whilst it is possible to easily reset a circuit breaker, a suitably qualified electrical engineer should check the reason for the breaker tripping; the cause will often be downstream from the breaker and could be e due to a sudden surge in power, fault condition or short-circuit. A short-circuit within the air conditioner is a serious fault and can indicate that an electrical assembly requires replacement. If the circuit breaker checks out, then it may be necessary for one of our engineers to inspect the air conditioning unit for a fault.
2. No Cooling: if there is electrical power to the unit (LEDs on) but no cooling, this can indicate a potential F-gas leak. This type of fault requires immediate inspection to find and fix the leak. Pipework will require testing and it may be necessary to refill the system refrigerant following a complete clean and removal of air and moisture from the system. Whilst in a server room or datacentre it would be unusual for the air conditioner to be used for heating, no heat from a powered system can also indicate a gas leak.
3. F-Gas Leaks: air conditioners are delivered pre-charged with a refrigerant F-Gas. This is a special type of gas that should only be ‘handled’ by certified air conditioning engineers and its usage and recording is governed by regulations and legislations. There are several types of F-Gas and if a system uses one of the banned types, the entire system may require replacement. If the air con unit is compliant, an F-Gas top-up can take up to half a day.
4. Poor Air Flow and Noisy Units: the quality of the air drawn into an air conditioner can affect performance. A build-up of dirt and grime on filters can reduce performance and require a deep-clean. Internal components such as fans or motors can fail or require adjustment in speed to improve flow rates. Noisy units can be a sign of fan bearing problems or a failing compensate pump.
5. Performance Loss: poorly maintained air conditioners can lose over 50% or more of their performance due to blocked filters or refrigerant leakage. Filters and dirty units can be deep cleaned relatively quickly but leaks can take time to find and resolve. It is important to check both the internal and external units as a build-up of ice can indicate poor performance and potential fault condition. Performance loss can also occur when external temperatures rise during prolonged periods as can happen during summer heatwaves. Here the actual problem may be that the air conditioner is no longer appropriately sized, and it may be necessary to bring in additional cooling using temporary hire and portable air conditioners.
6. Increase Running Costs: server room and datacentre managers should monitor their electricity and energy usage and investigate changes in kilo-Watt hour (kWh) usage. Increasing usage can indicate that a critical system is running at a lower energy efficiency level and requires more energy to deliver the required cooling level. If an air conditioner is dirty and its filters are blocked, the AC unit must use more electricity to deliver the same level of cooling. This is an instance where planned preventative maintenance can be less costly for air conditioning unit owners over the working life of the unit and lead to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Care should also be taken when adding or removing equipment into the server room or datacentre environment as this will affect the original room cooling calculations.
7. Leaking Water: water leakage is a typical fault when a unit has not been maintained regularly. The most common cause is failure of a condensate pump and the repair can typically made within an hour of our service engineer has the appropriate replacement pump with them. Water leakage in a server room or datacentre or any other environment where there is electrical circuitry and electronic systems can also lead to a short-circuit and fire risk. Air conditioners must be installed so that any water leakage is either captured by overhead trays and should not be placed above electrical or electronic systems.
8. Freezing: when an air conditioner freezes up the most common cause is dirt accumulation from the air drawn into the unit. This prevents the system from ‘breathing’ and releasing its cold air into the environment. A deep clean should resolve the issue. If the freezing is caused by a leak, the unit can eventually fail and may require more costly rectification work. Any freezing can lead to water contamination into the room.
9. Stale Smelling Air: can result from bacteria and dirt build-up as the air conditioning unit draws air from the room into the unit for cooling. Bacteria build-up can result from the way air conditioners cool room temperatures. The units produce water condensate, and this can lead a build-up of bacteria on the cooling coils. Regular maintenance and cleaning removes potential bacteria build-up.
10. Remote Controls and Thermostats: where a remote control or remote monitoring system is used it advised to regularly check their performance. Some air conditioners have handheld infrared remote- control units which will require regular battery replacement. The remote controls should also be securely stored to prevent accidental temperature adjustment. Where remote monitoring systems are used these should be calibration checked and tested or alarm conditions on an annual basis. Case should also be taken to ensure air flow around externally fixed thermostats is not blocked or disrupted by other systems within the room.

If you have a failed or faulty unit and require additional temporary hire or portable air conditions in an emergency, please let us know.

Service Support Centre

To support our field service engineers we operated a central service support centre. The team provides 24/7 hotline support and help with service engineer visits, parts allocation and provision, project management and the overall running our on-site and workshop services.

Each service request is logged and allocated a dedicated service administrator. Our service centre administrators will keep you up to date with your repair and service visit as well as booking planned preventative maintenance visits. 

No job is ever too small for our service team who look to provide the most responsive and comprehensive service solutions in the industry.

Emergency Portable Air Conditioners

Where it is not possible to quickly fix an air conditioner on site, you may need emergency portable air conditioners. We supply portable air conditioners on hire and purchase terms, with a complete delivery and installation service if required.

Portable air conditioners can be hired out for the duration of the repair period or if you need them to provide additional cooling capacity during a prolonged heatwave or planned system downtime. We provide portable air conditioners and their installation on a next day basis and against a quotation and hire agreement.

Please remember that portable air conditioners act in a similar way to a fixed AC installation but have a temporary hosing arrangement to vent warm air from the server room or datacentre environment to the outside of the building via window, door or wall duct. If the hose arrangement cannot be used, then it may be necessary to consider evaporative coolers and fans along with regular removal of the collected moisture.