What does commercial RTU repair cover?
Commercial rooftop units are the workhorse of Toronto’s retail, restaurant, and office stock. A packaged RTU combines gas heating, mechanical cooling, and fresh-air ventilation in a single cabinet mounted on a roof curb. When one fails, it can knock out all three functions simultaneously, and for a commercial operator, every hour without conditioned air has a measurable cost.
Commercial rooftop unit repair in Toronto runs from $500 for an on-site diagnostic to $20,000 for a compressor replacement. Our TSSA-certified crew dispatches within 2 hours, 24/7, to commercial sites across the GTA, and most common single-component failures are resolved on the same visit. Call 647-254-4113 to reach our commercial dispatch at any hour.
Our crew holds TSSA G1 and G2 gas licences, which means the gas heating section of your RTU is handled in-house. A gas fault on a commercial rooftop unit generates a red tag under the same rules as any residential appliance, and having G1/G2 certified technicians on the same crew that diagnoses the refrigerant circuit means the unit is cleared and back online without waiting on a second contractor. We carry COI and WSIB documentation to every commercial site so property managers can retain current vendor records without chasing documents after the job.
What our crew carries on the van
Our vans carry common replacement parts for Carrier WeatherMaker, Trane Voyager, Lennox Landmark, and York Sunline units: run capacitors, contactors, hot surface igniters, flame sensors, economizer actuators, and refrigerant for common circuit sizes. That parts inventory is why most single-component failures are resolved in one visit rather than two.
How do we diagnose RTU faults symptom by symptom?
Property managers and facility operators describing an RTU problem are almost always describing a symptom rather than a cause. Here is how our crew works through the five most common failure modes.
Compressor lockout
A compressor lockout is a safety shutdown that fires when the unit detects an out-of-range condition: low or high refrigerant pressure, an excessive discharge temperature, a voltage fault at the incoming power, or a motor current overload. Clearing the fault code without identifying the underlying condition means the unit will lock out again within hours.
Our crew measures refrigerant suction and discharge pressures, checks incoming voltage and phase balance, tests the run capacitor and start components, and inspects the compressor for mechanical signs of distress before recommending a repair path. A refrigerant undercharge, a failing run capacitor, and an intermittent contactor are the three most common causes found on Toronto commercial sites.
Ignition fault on the gas heating section
An ignition fault means the gas heating section failed to light or failed to prove a flame after lighting. Common causes include a cracked or degraded hot surface igniter, a dirty or out-of-position flame sensor, a faulty induced draft motor, or a gas pressure fault at the valve. Our G1/G2 certified technicians diagnose and repair gas heating sections in-house. For a commercial operator with no heat on a cold day, that shortens the outage from days to hours.
Tripped circuit breaker
A tripped breaker on a commercial RTU is usually caused by a compressor drawing excess current during a hard start, a failed run capacitor causing locked-rotor current, a short in a condenser or evaporator fan motor winding, or a ground fault in the controls wiring. Resetting the breaker without a load test risks a second trip and potential equipment damage. We test the circuit under operating conditions, measure individual motor currents, and check insulation resistance before recommending a repair.
Cooling loss
Cooling loss most often traces to one of four causes: a refrigerant leak that has reduced the charge below operating range, a failed or degraded compressor, a condenser coil restricted by debris or fouling that limits heat rejection, or a failed TXV or metering device. We measure suction and discharge pressures, superheat, and subcooling during every diagnostic to isolate the cause accurately rather than guessing.
Economizer failure
A rooftop economizer brings in outdoor air for free cooling when outside conditions are suitable, saving compressor runtime during Toronto’s shoulder seasons. Common failure modes include a seized or frozen damper motor, a failed enthalpy sensor, or a damaged actuator linkage. A damper stuck fully open wastes heating capacity in winter; fully closed means the unit runs the compressor when free cooling was available. Actuator and sensor replacements are typically same-visit repairs.
Which RTU brands does your crew service?
Our team services Carrier WeatherMaker, Trane Voyager, Lennox Landmark, and York Sunline packaged rooftop units and carries common replacement parts for each platform. These four brands account for the majority of commercial RTUs across Toronto’s retail, restaurant, and office stock. For sites with other brands, call to confirm part availability before booking.
What drives the cost of commercial RTU repair in Toronto?
The diagnostic call is $500 and establishes the root cause. What varies after that is the repair scope. A capacitor, contactor, or igniter replacement is a same-visit job and typically runs $1,000 to $2,500 all in. An economizer actuator or sensor replacement sits in a similar range.
A refrigerant leak repair and recharge adds the cost of refrigerant, which has increased as R-410A is phased out in favour of lower-GWP alternatives. A compressor replacement is the largest cost: parts, refrigerant recovery and recharge, and labour on an access-restricted rooftop bring the total to $10,000 to $20,000 depending on unit size and refrigerant type. On a unit older than 15 years with a failed compressor, RTU replacement is often the better long-term value, and our crew will give you both numbers in writing before you decide.
Timing also affects the bill. Work scheduled outside operating hours, including evenings or weekends, carries a premium in labour but avoids lost revenue during the repair. For restaurants and retail units in particular, the premium is usually far less than the cost of a closed day.
Serving property managers and facility operators across Toronto and the GTA
We dispatch to commercial sites across Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, and the broader Durham region including Ajax, Pickering, and Whitby. The 2-hour target response is consistent across this area, 24 hours a day.
For property managers handling multi-site portfolios, our service documentation includes a written diagnostic report, all repair findings, and the full repair scope for your records. COI and WSIB certificates are available in advance of arrival for sites with vendor pre-qualification requirements. For commercial gas compliance issues that accompany an RTU fault, our G1/G2 technicians handle the inspection, repair, and clearance on the same visit.
To reach our 24/7 commercial RTU dispatch, call 647-254-4113.
