Your AC is an emergency when it smells like burning, trips its breaker a second time, leaks near electrical equipment, or quits while someone vulnerable sits in a hot house. Everything else can wait for a daytime visit. We answer emergency calls around the clock: (541) 461-2101 for Lane County, (503) 581-9982 for Marion County.
Is my AC not working an emergency?
It is an emergency when the failure risks a fire, a flooded ceiling or a person’s health; discomfort alone is not.
We sort calls into three tiers, and you can sort yours the same way. James Heating dispatches a technician at any hour for the first four rows, so call for those whatever the clock says.
| Symptom | Urgency | Do this meanwhile |
|---|---|---|
| Burning smell or smoke from the unit or vents | Emergency, now | Switch the thermostat to Off, then turn off the AC breaker. Leave it off. |
| Breaker trips again after one reset | Emergency, now | Leave the breaker off. Do not hold it on or reset it a third time. |
| Water pouring near the air handler, panel or outlets | Emergency, now | Switch cooling off and cut power to the unit. Stay out of standing water near electrics. |
| No cooling during a heat event, and someone at risk is home | Emergency, now | Move that person to the coolest room or a cooling center. |
| Hissing from a line or the outdoor unit | Call today | Switch cooling off. Do not touch the line. Keep kids and pets away. |
| Loud grinding, banging or screeching | Call today | Switch it off. A loose part or bad bearing damages what surrounds it. |
| Ice on the coil or refrigerant lines | Call today | Thermostat to Off, fan to On, let it melt. |
| No cooling, mild weather, nobody at risk | Can wait | Check thermostat and filter, then book. |
| One room warmer than the rest | Can wait | Open vents, check the filter, book. |
| Dirty filter, dead thermostat batteries | Can wait | Fix it yourself. |
If your symptom sits in the top tier, call. Our dispatchers answer at night and send a technician.
Does James Heating answer emergency AC calls at night in Eugene and Salem?
Yes, James Heating answers emergency AC calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from both offices.
James Heating covers Eugene, Springfield and Lane County on (541) 461-2101. It covers Salem, Keizer and Marion County on (503) 581-9982. Both numbers ring through to 24-hour emergency dispatch. The company has served Eugene and Salem since 1983 and holds Oregon CCB #47396.
Our dispatchers ask the same few things on every call, so have the answers ready: where you are, what you saw, smelled or heard, when it started, whether the breaker tripped, and whether anyone at heat risk is home. Those answers place you in a tier before a technician leaves the shop. James Heating then dispatches the right crew.
Most of the “now” calls trace back to one box on the outdoor unit.
Why does my AC smell like burning or keep tripping the breaker?
A burning smell or a repeat breaker trip usually starts in the outdoor unit’s electrical panel, so treat it as electrical until a technician proves otherwise.
The capacitor starts the fan and compressor motors, and the contactor switches power to them. HomeTips lists burned, pitted or stuck contactor contacts among the failures, along with humming, clicking and a fan that will not spin. A failing capacitor, burned contacts, a seized motor or frayed wiring can each overheat insulation and cook it. Our technicians test each of those parts with a meter. They replace only the part that failed.
Keep the cover on. The capacitor in that panel can hold a charge even with the power off, so leave it to a technician. HomeTips warns that capacitors hold a shock-level charge even with the power off, and it says to call a professional when you are unsure about electrical safety, the breaker trips repeatedly or the wiring looks damaged. Shut the unit off at the thermostat, then at the breaker. Never restart it to test the smell. Our technicians inspect the wiring and the contactor before they run the unit again.
A tripped breaker is a safety device doing its job. Switch it fully Off, then On, once. If the AC runs normally, mention the trip when you call, because we check the wiring on any trip report. If it trips again, leave it off. Never tape it, hold it, or swap in a bigger breaker, because that turns a wiring fault into a fire. Keep your hands dry and stand to one side of the panel. We test the breaker and the wiring behind it before we call the unit safe.
A dusty smell on the first cooling day of the year fades in minutes. A sharp, hot or acrid smell does not. If it lingers, we send a technician.
What do I do when my AC ices up or hisses?
Switch cooling off for both, because ice means the coil dropped below 32 degrees F and hissing points to a refrigerant leak.
For ice, set the thermostat to Off and the fan to On so room air thaws the coil, and lay towels under the air handler. Poor airflow or low refrigerant usually causes it, so we check the filter and the refrigerant charge. The frozen evaporator coil guide walks you through the full sequence. The meltwater side sits in why an AC leaks water.
Hissing is different. A leaking system cannot hold its cooling, and refrigerant work belongs to a certified technician. Our technicians repair the leak path before they recharge anything. Keep the unit off, keep kids and pets away from the lines, and call today. Our technicians locate the leak, and we quote the repair before any refrigerant goes back in.
When is a dead AC a health emergency?
A dead AC is a health emergency when someone at higher heat risk is home or when heat stroke signs appear, and heat stroke means 911.
The Oregon Health Authority names who faces higher risk: older adults, infants and young children, outdoor workers, pregnant people, people experiencing homelessness and anyone with a chronic health condition. If one of them is in your house, move them to the coolest room and call at once. We treat a dead AC in that house as a now call.
OHA lists heat exhaustion as heavy sweating, dizziness, weakness, nausea, headache and muscle cramps. Cool showers and damp cloths help. OHA calls heat stroke a medical emergency, with a body temperature above 103 degrees, confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures or severe headache. Call 911 first, then call us. James Heating dispatches the repair while medical help is on the way.
How do I keep the house safe until the technician arrives?
Close the blinds on sun-facing windows, skip the stove and oven, and cool people with showers and damp cloths while you wait.
- Keep doors shut so the cooler air stays in.
- Drink water and limit alcohol, as OHA advises.
- Check on neighbors who live alone.
- Find a cooling center through 211info if the house turns unsafe.
OHA puts the hottest window at roughly 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so schedule chores outside it. These steps protect your family while our dispatch runs.
Can an AC problem wait until morning?
Yes, a system that still cools but struggles, one stuffy bedroom, a blank thermostat or an overdue filter can wait for a daytime visit. Our technicians service those problems on regular visits, and they check the filter and thermostat first.
Replace the thermostat batteries and the filter first, and open any closed vents. We check those same items first on a daytime visit. Then book a visit through the AC repair page or the contact page. If the unit will not start at all, work through AC won’t turn on troubleshooting before you call.
How much does after-hours AC repair cost?
Nationally, after-hours AC repair costs 50% to 100% more than standard rates, or an added $100 to $300, according to Fixr.
| National guide figure | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| After-hours premium | 50% to 100% above standard rates, or an added $100 to $300 | Fixr |
| Diagnostic or service-call fee | $75 to $200, often applied to the repair | Fixr |
Fixr’s 2026 repair guide publishes both ranges. Those are national figures, not our quote. Ask the dispatcher about charges when you call. We quote before any work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run my AC 24 hours a day?
Yes. On the hottest afternoons a properly sized system may run almost nonstop. The warning sign is a house that cannot hold temperature, not long run time. We test the system’s cooling when a house cannot keep up.
Does James Heating cover Salem, Keizer and Marion County for emergency AC calls?
Yes. We answer emergency AC calls for Salem, Keizer and Marion County on (503) 581-9982, and for Eugene, Springfield and Lane County on (541) 461-2101, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How do I know whether it is an AC failure or a power outage?
Check whether the lights and thermostat have power. If not, the utility is likely down, so check your own provider (EWEB, SUB, Pacific Power, PGE or Salem Electric). Wait a few minutes after power returns before restarting the AC. We service the AC if it will not restart after that.
Should I keep resetting a tripped AC breaker?
No. Reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off and call us, because a repeat trip points to a wiring or motor fault. Our technicians find it and repair it.
Is no heat in winter also an emergency?
It can be, especially with infants, older adults or freezing weather. The same breaker and burning-smell rules apply to furnaces and heat pumps, and we service both. See heating repair or call either office.
Call either office, day or night
We have served Eugene and Salem since 1983, and James Heating holds Oregon CCB #47396. Need help now? In Eugene, Springfield or anywhere in Lane County, dial (541) 461-2101. In Salem, Keizer or anywhere in Marion County, dial (503) 581-9982. For a daytime visit, see AC repair in Eugene and Salem or use the contact page.
