AC Repair in Millbrook, AL
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Elmore County will get in touch.
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Five months of Alabama heat wears on your AC
Your air conditioner runs from May through September in Millbrook, and on afternoons that average 91°F it does not get much rest. The compressor cycles on and stays on for hours at a stretch, and that long runtime is what wears out capacitors and fan motors before their time. When one of those parts gives out, the unit either will not start or blows air that is not cold.
Elmore County has also seen 81 damaging wind events and 18 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches. Wind can rock the outdoor unit and strain its refrigerant lines, and hail that size can bend the fins on the outdoor coil or crack the fan blade. Either one shows up as an AC that runs but cannot keep the house cool.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 18 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 81 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $70 a year off cooling for a typical Elmore County home.
Estimates for a typical Elmore 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.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors issues that license, and it covers the contractor rather than the specific repair. Once a contractor holds it, the board's record of them applies to any job they take on, including yours.
For an air conditioner repair, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work in Elmore County. If the repair involves opening the refrigerant side of the system, which most air conditioner repairs do, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, a federal requirement that applies no matter which state they work in.
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, so check that first and swap it if it's gray or caked. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that one needs a contractor, since refrigerant doesn't just run low on its own. It could also be a failing compressor or a frozen evaporator coil. With summer afternoons here hitting 91°F, a system running low on refrigerant will struggle a lot harder than it would in cooler weather.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most often the condensate drain line is clogged with algae or debris, and water backs up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the evaporator coil has frozen and is now thawing and dripping. A cracked drain pan or a disconnected drain line will cause the same thing. Shut the system off if you see water pooling, since running it longer can mean more water damage.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the simple things. Check that the thermostat has power and is set to cool below room temperature, and check the breaker for the outdoor unit. If those are fine, the capacitor may have failed, or the contactor that switches the unit on may be stuck or burned out. With 81 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, it's also worth having a contractor check the outdoor unit for storm damage to wiring or the disconnect box if it stopped working right after a storm.