AC not cooling in Casselberry, Florida
If the air conditioner is producing no cool air at all, start with power and airflow: a tripped breaker, a condensate float switch that has shut the system down, or a filter so blocked the coil has frozen. Those three account for most no-cooling calls in Central Florida homes.
What is most likely wrong
| # | Cause | How common | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tripped breaker or pulled disconnect | Very common | Thermostat calls, nothing outside runs at all. |
| 2 | Condensate float switch tripped | Very common | Indoor unit dead, outdoor unit dead, no fault light. A full drain pan or a blocked line is behind it. |
| 3 | Blocked filter, frozen evaporator coil | Very common | Weak or no airflow at the vents, ice on the copper line at the air handler. |
| 4 | Failed run capacitor | Common | Condenser hums but the fan does not spin, or it spins if you nudge it (do not). |
| 5 | Failed contactor | Common | Indoor blower runs, outdoor unit never starts, sometimes a buzz at the contactor. |
| 6 | Refrigerant leak | Less common | Gradual loss of cooling over weeks, then none. Ice or oil residue near a fitting. |
| 7 | Failed compressor | Less common | Condenser fan runs, the compressor does not, or it trips its overload after a few seconds. |
What you can safely check yourself
- Thermostat set to cool, fan on auto, and set below the current room temperature. Batteries if it takes them.
- Both breakers — there is usually one for the air handler and one for the condenser. Reset a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, stop.
- The outdoor disconnect box beside the condenser: the pull-out should be fully seated.
- The filter. If it is grey and matted, replace it and leave the system off for a few hours if there is any ice.
- The condensate drain: a full secondary pan or a wet ceiling stain means the float switch has done its job.
- The condenser coil: grass clippings, mulch and pool-cage debris pack into it. Rinse from the inside out with the power off at the disconnect.
Refrigerant, capacitors and the inside of an electrical panel are not homeowner jobs.
A run capacitor holds a lethal voltage after the disconnect is pulled. Refrigerant handling requires EPA Section 608 certification. And in Florida the work itself is regulated: an air conditioning contractor licensed under Chapter 489 may replace, disconnect and reconnect the power wiring at the dedicated disconnect, and repair or replace disconnects, breakers and fuses on dedicated HVAC circuits — s. 489.105(3). That scope exists precisely because this work is not general-purpose electrical work.
Verify any Florida licence, including ours, at the DBPR licensee search.
Why this happens in this housing stock
Two of the top three causes above are humidity-driven, and that is not a coincidence in a city with more than thirty lakes and ponds inside seven square miles. Sustained dewpoints in the seventies mean the evaporator coil is condensing water for most of nine months, and everything downstream of that — drain line, pan, float switch — is a wear point rather than an afterthought. Drain line clearing at a researched $80–$250 is the routine Florida call.
The other local factor is age. The median Casselberry home was built in 1977 and 57.1% of the city was built 1970–89. In that stock a single undersized central return is common, which makes a dirty filter far more consequential: the system is already near its airflow limit before the filter starts restricting it. How often to change it here.
Seminole County Property Appraiser CAMA extract (Parcels.csv, dated 2026-09-05). Improved residential parcels — single-family, townhome and condominium — in city tax district C1, City of Casselberry. n = 8,563.
What the fix typically costs
| Job | Researched range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $75–$150 | Usually credited to the repair. After hours costs more. |
| Drain line clearing | $80–$250 | The routine local call. |
| Capacitor replacement | $150–$400 | Most common single part failure on a Florida condenser. |
| Contactor or relay | $100–$450 | A wear item. |
| Refrigerant leak repair | $200–$1,500+ | Finding the leak is most of the cost. |
| Compressor replacement | $1,000–$3,000+ | The point where replacement gets costed properly. |
These are researched market ranges, not our prices and not a quote.
The dollar figures below come from published third-party cost guides — named and linked at the foot of the page — and from the City of Casselberry’s own published permit fee. They are here so you can tell whether a quote you have been handed is in the ordinary range for this work. They are not an offer, and no two houses in Casselberry cost the same to do.
Not getting anywhere?
Tell us the symptom, the build year of the house and roughly how old the equipment is. That usually narrows it to two candidates before anyone drives out.
Phone: (689) 308-3675 · Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where the facts on this page come from
Every figure above is either a primary-source document or a named third-party cost guide. All of it was checked in September 2026. Fee schedules, rebate amounts and market prices change without notice — if you are about to spend money on one of these numbers, open the source and check it.