AC Maintenance in Winston-Salem, 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 Forsyth County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of steady running in Forsyth County heat
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, and on summer afternoons that average 86°F it runs long stretches at a time to keep up. That kind of steady run time wears on the parts that keep the system cooling, from the capacitor that gets the compressor started to the coil that has to stay clean to shed heat.
Forsyth County has also logged 174 damaging wind events and 20 hail events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 1.75 inches. A tune-up checks the outdoor unit for storm damage, confirms the electrical connections are still tight, and catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before it leaves you without cooling on the next hot afternoon.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 174 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
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- 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 State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors tested the contractor before handing out that license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a furnace also qualifies them to maintain your air conditioner.
For a maintenance visit, the license is what stands behind the person in your driveway. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of your system to check the charge or the coil, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is separate from the state license and applies to that kind of work in every state.
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 refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil outside, and tests the capacitor and contactor that start the compressor. They also check the evaporator coil, clear the condensate drain so it isn't clogged, and replace or clean the filter. On the electrical side, they check the wiring connections and confirm the system cycles on and shuts off the way it should. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of your system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, so ask if that step is part of the visit.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before cooling season starts. Homes here run the AC from May through September, so getting it checked in spring means it's ready for the stretch of 86°F afternoons ahead. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or low refrigerant before it fails on the hottest day.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most cooling failures trace back to something a maintenance visit would have caught, a failing capacitor, a coil coated in dirt, a drain line about to clog. Winston-Salem gets five months of real cooling demand a year, so a system that's neglected has a long stretch to fail during. It also matters after storms. This area has seen 174 damaging wind events and 20 hail events over the past ten years, and a check after a bad storm can catch a bent condenser fin or debris in the unit before it turns into a bigger repair.