AC Repair in Wilmington, NC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers New Hanover County will get in touch.
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Five months of heat wear on your air conditioner
Your air conditioner works May through September in Wilmington, five months straight. On afternoons that average 88°F, it runs long hours to hold the house at temperature, and the compressor and the fan motor take that load every one of those days.
Wilmington has also seen 59 damaging wind events and 12 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to an inch. That kind of storm can bend the fins on the outdoor coil or damage the fan, and either one shows up as an air conditioner that runs but no longer cools the way it should.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 12 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 59 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 New Hanover County home.
Estimates for a typical New Hanover 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 tests contractors before they get a license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single repair, so the same license that let them take on your job covers whatever other HVAC work they do across the state.
For a repair on your air conditioner, whoever opens up the refrigerant lines also needs EPA Section 608 certification. That one is federal and applies in every state, separate from the North Carolina license. Between the two, the contractor working on your system is checked both on the state's terms and on the rule that governs anyone who handles refrigerant.
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?
- Usually it means the system is low on refrigerant or the airflow across the indoor coil is blocked. A dirty filter is the most common cause, since it starves the coil of air and lets it ice over. Once that coil is frozen, the air coming through the vents turns warm even though the unit is running. A refrigerant leak causes the same symptom, but finding and fixing it means opening the sealed system, which by federal law only a technician with EPA 608 certification can do.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most often the condensate drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air and that water is supposed to drip into a pan and out through a drain line. Algae and dust build up inside that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and spills out instead. A frozen evaporator coil that's melting can cause the same puddle, so the fix depends on which one it is.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker. If the thermostat screen is blank or unresponsive, check the batteries first. If the breaker for the outdoor unit has tripped, that points to an electrical fault in the compressor or wiring that needs a licensed contractor to diagnose. With 59 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, a tripped breaker or a disconnected wire from storm damage is worth checking before assuming the worst.