AC Maintenance in Dothan, AL
Air conditioners here run from May through October, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Houston County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of Dothan heat wears on a system
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, with afternoons that average 91°F. That is six months of steady work against real heat, not just running now and then.
All that runtime adds up on the parts that keep it going, the capacitor, the contactor, the fan motor. A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge and the electrical connections before one of them gives out.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 7 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 205 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 tests and licenses the contractor, not the individual visit. That license is on record with the state and follows the business from job to job, but it does not mean the state inspects each maintenance call.
For a maintenance visit, the license tells you the company answering the call has met the state's bar. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, checking charge or looking for a leak, federal law also requires that person to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification 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 contractor checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil, the blower motor, and the drain line that carries condensation away. They also check the thermostat settings and look over the electrical connections. A dirty condenser coil or a clogged drain line are two of the more common things a tune-up catches before they cause a breakdown.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the cooling season starts. Here that means getting it done before May, since your system will run steadily from May through October. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge while it is still a small fix.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially with 6 months of cooling season and summer afternoons averaging 91°F here. A system that runs that much all summer wears on its parts, and a yearly check catches a failing capacitor or a dirty coil before it leaves you without cooling on a hot afternoon. It also keeps the system running the way it was built to, since a dirty coil or low refrigerant makes it work harder to do the same job.