When your air conditioning quits during a Bakersfield heat wave, every hour matters, especially in a home with young children, older adults, or anyone whose health depends on staying cool. This isn’t a problem that waits politely for business hours, and you shouldn’t have to either.
Contact Us
Gundlach’s has answered cooling emergencies across Kern County for more than 120 years. When you call, you reach a real person who can help you figure out what’s happening and what to do right now, not a machine and not a callback queue.
- Help when you need it, not just during business hours
- Real people answer and walk you through next steps
- Licensed technicians ready to diagnose and repair
- Serving Bakersfield and Kern County for 120+ years
Don’t wait it out in the heat. Call (661) 235-5471 now.
What Counts as an AC Emergency
Some cooling problems can wait a day. Others can’t, particularly when the heat is dangerous. Call right away if you’re dealing with any of these:
- No cooling at all during extreme heat, especially with vulnerable family members at home
- A burning smell, smoke, or sparking from the unit, which means shut it off and call immediately
- A system that trips the breaker repeatedly or won’t restart
- Water pooling around the indoor unit, or ice visibly building on the system
If you’re not sure whether your situation is urgent, call anyway. We’ll ask a few questions and help you judge whether you need someone right now or whether it can safely wait until morning.
What to Do While You Wait for Help
A few quick steps can protect your system and your home before a technician arrives:
- Turn the system off completely to prevent further strain or damage
- Move to the coolest part of the house, close blinds against the sun, and run fans to keep air moving
- Check for anything obvious you can safely note, like a tripped breaker or an unusual sound, and tell us when you call
- Stay hydrated and keep a close eye on anyone in the home who’s especially sensitive to heat
Avoid repeatedly flipping the system on and off in hopes it catches. That tends to make the underlying problem worse. Tell us what you’re seeing and we’ll take it from there.
Honest Help in a Stressful Moment
An emergency is exactly when a homeowner is most vulnerable to pressure and upselling, and exactly when we refuse to do it. We diagnose what’s wrong, explain it clearly, and tell you honestly whether you’re looking at a quick fix or something bigger. You get the information you need to make the call, even in the middle of a crisis.
We’re a family-owned business built on faith-driven values and good old-fashioned integrity. Treating people fairly when they’re stressed and hot is the whole point of having earned this community’s trust for four generations.
Once the emergency is handled, see our AC Repair page for repair-vs-replace guidance.
Learn more
Emergency AC Questions Bakersfield Homeowners Ask
Is a broken AC considered an emergency?
Once a year is the general standard, ideally in spring before the cooling season ramps up. In Bakersfield, where systems run so hard for so long, that annual visit matters even more than it does in milder climates.
What should I do if my AC stops working at night?
Turn the system off, move to the coolest part of the house, run fans, and stay hydrated. Then call us and describe what happened. We’ll help you decide whether you need someone immediately or whether it’s safe to wait until morning.
Why did my AC suddenly stop in the heat?
Extreme demand is hard on cooling systems, so peak heat is when weak components tend to fail. Common culprits include tripped breakers, failed capacitors, frozen coils from restricted airflow, and refrigerant problems. We’ll pinpoint which it is once we can assess the system.
Can a frozen AC unit be an emergency?
It can lead to one. Ice on the system usually signals restricted airflow or a refrigerant issue, and running it that way can cause further damage. Turn it off, let it thaw, and call us so we can find and fix the underlying cause.
Call Now for Emergency AC Help
Your home is getting hotter, and in Bakersfield that’s not something to ignore. Reach out and we’ll help you get back to safe, comfortable temperatures.
Call (661) 235-5471 now. We serve Bakersfield, the Westside, Southwest Bakersfield, and throughout Kern County.