AC Maintenance in Auburn, AL
Air conditioners here run from May through September, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Lee County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of steady running takes a toll
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, and on the 90-degree afternoons it doesn't get much of a break. That kind of run time wears on the compressor and the fan motor a little more each season.
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, tests the capacitor, and clears the condenser coil so the unit isn't working harder than it needs to. Lee County has also seen 24 hail events and 52 damaging wind events over the past ten years, so it's worth having someone check the outdoor unit for bent fins or a dented cabinet, since either one can cut down airflow without you noticing.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 24 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 52 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in April, before homes here start needing cooling in May.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors issues that license, and it covers the contractor, not each job they do. That means the person or company is on record with the state, not that a state inspector signs off on your particular maintenance visit.
For a maintenance call, the license is what stands behind the contractor's work in Lee County. If the technician checks refrigerant levels or opens that side of the system, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is separate from the state license and applies to anyone doing that work anywhere in the country.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the outdoor coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the drain line, since a clogged drain can back up and cause water damage. They also check airflow and change or inspect the filter. The visit ends with a check of the thermostat and a test run to confirm the system cools properly.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the season it works hardest. Here that means getting it checked before May, since the system runs from May through September with afternoons averaging 90°F. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before it fails on a hot day.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of the failures that leave a house without cooling are the kind a technician can catch in advance. A weak capacitor, a dirty coil, or a low refrigerant charge all make the system work harder before they make it stop working. Catching them early matters more here, where the cooling season runs five months and summer afternoons average 90°F.