AC Repair in Dothan, AL
Air conditioners here run from May through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Houston County will get in touch.
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Six months of heat, and storms in between
Your air conditioner runs from May through October in Dothan. On the afternoons that hit 91°F, it does not get a break between cycles, and the compressor and condenser fan work through the hottest part of the day for six months straight. That kind of run time wears on capacitors and contactors before their time, and you notice it as the unit blowing warm air or not turning on at all.
Houston County has also logged 205 damaging wind events and 7 hail events over the past ten years, with hailstones as large as 2.75 inches. Wind drives debris into the outdoor unit and can bend the cabinet or the fan blade. Hail that size can dent the condenser coil's thin fins, and a dented coil makes the whole system work harder to move heat outside.
- 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
A new air conditioner would cut about $80 a year off cooling for a typical Houston County home.
Estimates for a typical Houston County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Alabama 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.
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license is issued to the contractor, not to the job, so it tells you the state has tested and recorded the person or company taking on the work, not that it signed off on this specific repair.
Your air conditioner has a sealed refrigerant side, and opening it takes more than the state license. Federal law requires anyone who handles that refrigerant, in Alabama or any other state, to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a separate credential from the Alabama license, and a repair on your unit will call on both.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. A clogged filter can cause the coil to ice over, and once that happens the air coming out of your vents turns warm. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that will not fix itself. If the filter looks clean and the air is still warm, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the coil.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dirt build up inside that line over a cooling season, and once it backs up the water has nowhere to go but out of the unit. A frozen coil that then thaws can cause the same thing, so if you noticed weak airflow before the leak, that may be the reason. Either way, a contractor can clear the line or find where the water is actually coming from.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to cool and that the temperature is below the room temperature, and if it runs on batteries, try fresh ones. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will keep the whole system from starting. If the breaker keeps tripping when you reset it, that points to a problem inside the unit and a contractor will need to look at it.