AC Repair in Greensboro, NC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing 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, then storms on top of it
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, and on an 87°F afternoon it runs long stretches just to hold the house steady. That kind of steady demand wears on the run capacitor and the contactor, the parts that keep the compressor cycling on command. When one of them goes, the unit hums but the compressor never kicks in, or it shuts off on its own after a few minutes.
Guilford County has also seen 166 damaging wind events and 30 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind drives debris into the outdoor unit and can bend the fan or bow the cabinet. Hail that size dents the thin aluminum fins on the condenser coil, and once those fins are crushed the coil can't shed heat the way it should. You'll notice the air coming from the vents isn't as cold as it used to be, even though the system is running.
- 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
A new air conditioner would cut about $40 a year off cooling for a typical Guilford County home.
Estimates for a typical Guilford 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 license comes from the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. It belongs to the contractor, not to any single repair, and it covers them for jobs like this one.
For a repair on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the work. Since the job means opening the refrigerant side of the system, whoever does it also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is federal, separate from the state license, and required for 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
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is low refrigerant from a leak somewhere in the line set or coil. A dirty filter can also choke off airflow enough that the air coming out feels weak or warm, and a frozen evaporator coil will do the same until it thaws. Only a licensed contractor with EPA 608 certification can open the refrigerant side to check the charge and find a leak, so if the filter is clean and it still isn't cooling, that's what's going on.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this is a clogged condensate drain line. Your AC pulls a lot of moisture out of the air on a 87°F afternoon, and that water has to drain somewhere. When the line clogs with algae or debris, the water backs up and finds its way out, often right at the indoor unit. A frozen coil that's thawing can cause the same thing, so it's worth checking the filter too.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. If the breaker keeps tripping or the thermostat has power but the unit still won't respond, the problem is likely in the AC itself, such as a failed capacitor or a bad contactor. A contractor will need to test the electrical components to find which one it is.