AC Maintenance in Phenix City, 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 Russell County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of heat on your air conditioner
From May through October your air conditioner runs against afternoons that average 91°F. That is six months of long run times, not a few hot weeks here and there.
A tune-up checks the parts carrying that load, the refrigerant charge, the coil, the capacitor and contactor, before one of them gives out on a 91° afternoon. Catching a weak part before summer is easier than losing cooling in the middle of it.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 15 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 30 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.
Alabama licenses HVAC contractors through the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors. The license is tied to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers this maintenance visit and any other HVAC work that contractor takes on.
For a maintenance visit on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system to check the charge, federal law also requires EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule that applies in every state. The state license covers who is allowed to take on the job, and the federal certification covers the part of it that touches refrigerant.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks refrigerant charge, tests the capacitor and contactor, cleans the condenser coil outside, and checks the evaporator coil and drain line. They also test the thermostat and check that the system cycles on and off the way it should. A dirty condenser coil makes the system work harder to move the same heat outside, so cleaning it is one of the more useful parts of the visit.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the cooling season starts. Homes here run their AC from May through October, six months of steady use with summer afternoons averaging 91°F, so a spring check before that stretch catches problems before the heat does. A yearly visit also gives someone a look at parts that wear slowly, like the capacitor, before they fail.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, mainly because it catches small problems while they are still small. A weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge will not stop the system right away, but it makes the unit run longer and harder to cool the same house. With six months of cooling season and afternoons regularly near 91°F here, a system that is already straining has little room left before it fails during the hottest stretch of summer.