AC Repair in Durham, NC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Durham County will get in touch.
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Five months of heat, every year, on your air conditioner
Durham County asks a lot of an air conditioner. From May through September, the system runs most days, and summer afternoons average 88°F. That kind of steady load wears on the compressor and the capacitor that starts it, and a weak capacitor is a common reason a unit hums but the fan never turns.
The area has also seen 104 damaging wind events and 22 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil, and hail can dent the cabinet or damage the fan blade. Either one shows up as an outdoor unit that runs but cools poorly, or one that trips off on its own.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 22 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 104 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $50 a year off cooling for a typical Durham County home.
Estimates for a typical Durham County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, North Carolina fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when a part like a capacitor or contactor has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the compressor has failed or the system uses R-22 refrigerant, which is no longer made.
North Carolina requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license comes from the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, and it means the contractor was tested and is on record with the state. It attaches to the contractor, not to this particular repair, so the same license that qualifies someone to work on a furnace also qualifies them for your air conditioner.
Since your air conditioner's repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, whoever works on it also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and applies no matter what state you're in. In North Carolina, the state license is what stands behind the repair itself, and the federal certification is what says the person handling the refrigerant was trained to do it without venting it into the air or mishandling it.
Sources: North Carolina General Assembly · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that coil can't pull enough warm air through it, it can ice over instead of cooling. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that takes a licensed technician to find and fix since it means opening the refrigerant side of the system. If the air coming out is warm but still moving, check the filter first before anything else.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Warm Durham afternoons mean your AC pulls a lot of moisture out of the air, and that water has to drain somewhere. Usually it runs out through a condensate drain line, and that line can clog with algae or dirt over a cooling season that runs May through September here. When it clogs, the water backs up and drips or pools near the indoor unit instead. A cracked drain pan or a coil that's frozen over and then melting can also be the cause.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool, the temperature is below room temperature, and it has power or fresh batteries. If the thermostat looks fine, a tripped breaker or a blown fuse at the outdoor unit is a common next cause, especially after one of Durham's damaging wind events knocks power out briefly. If none of that explains it, the problem is likely inside the system itself, and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it.