AC Repair in Gastonia, NC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Gaston County will get in touch.
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Five months of Gastonia heat wears on your AC every year
Your air conditioner works hard from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 88°F. That long stretch of heat means the compressor and condenser fan run for hours at a time, day after day. Parts that cycle that much wear faster over the years.
Gaston County has also seen 67 damaging wind events and 20 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. Wind can knock debris into the outdoor unit or work electrical connections loose. Hail that size can bend the condenser fins, and once those fins are damaged, the unit has a harder time releasing heat. You notice it as warm air from the vents, or the system running longer than it used to just to keep the house cool.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 67 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 Gaston County home.
Estimates for a typical Gaston 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.
The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors licenses HVAC contractors in North Carolina. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a system is what qualifies them to repair yours.
For an air conditioner repair, the part of the job that calls for its own credential is the refrigerant line. Anyone who opens that side of your system, here or in any other state, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. The state license is what stands behind the contractor doing this work. The federal certification is what stands behind anyone touching the refrigerant, wherever they work.
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?
- Most often it's low refrigerant from a leak, a dirty filter choking airflow, or a coil that's frozen over. When the coil ices up, the air coming through the vents turns weak or warm even though the system is running. Refrigerant work has to be done by someone with EPA Section 608 certification, so this isn't a repair to do yourself. A frozen coil needs time to thaw before a contractor can find out what caused it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged or the drain pan has rusted through. Algae and dirt build up in that line over a cooling season and block the water from draining out the way it should. It can also mean the coil froze and is now melting, which points back to airflow or refrigerant trouble. Either way the water needs a place to go, and a contractor can tell which of these it is.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check your thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting bumped too high will stop the system before it ever starts. If the thermostat looks right, it could be a tripped breaker, a blown fuse at the outdoor unit, or a safety switch that's shut things down on purpose. A capacitor that's failed will also keep the unit from starting even though power is reaching it. A licensed contractor can test which of these it is without guessing.