AC Repair in Talladega, AL
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Talladega County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of heat, plus what the storms leave behind
Your air conditioner runs May through September in Talladega County, and on afternoons averaging 90°F it doesn't get much rest. That kind of steady load wears on the compressor and the capacitor that helps start it. When the capacitor goes, the outdoor unit hums but the fan won't turn, and the house stops cooling within the hour.
The county has also seen 51 damaging wind events and 31 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3.75 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil or knock the unit out of level, and hail that size can dent the coil or the fan housing. Either one shows up as an AC that runs but cools poorly, or one that trips off on its own.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 31 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 51 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $60 a year off cooling for a typical Talladega County home.
Estimates for a typical Talladega 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 tests the contractor rather than the job. It covers the business doing your repair, not this particular unit.
For an air conditioner repair, the part that matters most is the refrigerant. Any technician who opens that side of your system, to check the charge or fix a leak, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal rule and it applies no matter which state you live in.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty outdoor coil can cause the same thing, since it stops the system from releasing heat properly. Check the filter first since that's the one thing you can rule out yourself. If it's clean and you're still getting warm air, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the coils.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The condensate drain line is probably clogged, which backs water up until it overflows the drain pan. This happens more in summer here since the system runs for months at a stretch and algae or dirt builds up in the line over time. A frozen evaporator coil that's now thawing will also puddle water, usually after the system has been struggling to cool for a while. Either way, the fix means clearing or repairing the drain, not just wiping up the water.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. If those are fine, the capacitor may have failed, which is a common reason the outdoor unit won't start even though the thermostat calls for cooling. With 31 hail events and 51 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, it's also worth having a contractor check whether outdoor wiring or the unit itself took damage in a recent storm. In Alabama, that check needs to come from a licensed HVAC contractor.