AC Repair in Raleigh, NC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Wake County will get in touch.
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Five months of Raleigh heat wears an air conditioner down
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 88°F. That is five straight months where the system barely gets a break, and the compressor is working hardest on the hottest days when you need it most.
Wake County also sees its share of hail and wind. Ten years of storm records show 122 hail events and 308 damaging wind events, with hail up to 2.75 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it, and its fins and coil take the hit. A unit that ran fine last September can start short-cycling or blowing warm air once the heat returns, and that is usually the first sign something got bent, clogged, or worn out over the season.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 122 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 308 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 Wake County home.
Estimates for a typical Wake 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 tests contractors before they can take on HVAC work, and it keeps a record of who holds that license. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single repair, so the same license covers this job and the next one.
For a repair like this, the license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the repair involves opening the refrigerant lines on the air conditioner, whoever does that also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal requirement that applies in every state and covers the handling of refrigerant itself, separate from what the state license covers.
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 the filter is clogged and blocking airflow across the coil, or the system is low on refrigerant. A dirty outdoor unit can also keep it from shedding heat, especially after a summer here with 88°F afternoons pushing it for months at a time. If the air coming from the vents is only lukewarm, a technician needs to check refrigerant pressures and look for a leak. A technician who opens the refrigerant side of the system needs an EPA Section 608 certification to do that legally.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water on the floor near the indoor unit usually means the condensate line is clogged or the drain pan has cracked. As the coil pulls moisture out of the air, that water is supposed to run out through the drain line. When the line backs up, the pan overflows instead. A dirty filter can also cause this by freezing the coil, which then drips as it thaws.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting bumped to off will stop the whole system before it starts. If the thermostat looks fine, a tripped breaker or a blown fuse at the outdoor unit is the next likely cause. Storms move through this area often enough, with 308 damaging wind events recorded here in the past ten years, that a power surge is a common reason a unit won't start after bad weather. A licensed contractor can test the electrical components to find where the problem sits.