AC Maintenance in Greensboro, NC
Air conditioners here run from May through September, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Guilford County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of hard running in Greensboro heat
Your air conditioner works May through September here, and on afternoons that hit 87°F it runs long stretches just to hold the house steady. That kind of steady demand wears on the capacitor and the contactor, the parts that keep the compressor starting and running.
Guilford County has also logged 166 damaging wind events and 30 hail events over the past ten years, one hailstone as big as 1.75 inches. Hail and debris can bend the fins on the outdoor unit or crack a fan blade, and a tune-up is when a contractor finds that kind of damage before it takes the system down on a hot afternoon.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 30 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 166 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in April, before homes here start needing cooling in May.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
North Carolina requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so the person or company coming to your house in Guilford County should already be licensed before they touch your air conditioner. The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors is the body that tested them and keeps that record, not the technician's word for it.
For a maintenance visit, the other credential that matters is federal. Anyone who opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, to check the charge or get into the coil, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule applies whether the contractor is licensed in North Carolina or anywhere else in the country.
Sources: North Carolina General Assembly · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. They also check the indoor coil, replace or clean the filter, and check airflow across the system. On top of that, they check that the thermostat calls for cool correctly and look over the electrical connections and drain line for problems before they turn into a breakdown. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of your system needs an EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement everywhere.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the season starts. Homes here run their air conditioners May through September, so getting it checked in spring means it's ready before the 87 degree afternoons hit. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before it leaves you without cooling in the middle of summer.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes. A yearly check catches the small failures, a weak capacitor, a dirty coil, low refrigerant, before they force a breakdown during the hottest part of the year. Greensboro has also seen 166 damaging wind events and 30 hail events over the past ten years, so a maintenance visit is also a chance to have the outdoor unit checked for storm damage a homeowner wouldn't otherwise notice.