AC Repair in Alexandria, VA
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Alexandria will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running in Alexandria heat
Your air conditioner works from June through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 86°F. That is the stretch where it runs longest and hardest, often in the late afternoon when the heat has had all day to build.
Alexandria has also logged 31 damaging wind events over the past ten years, along with hail up to 1.25 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor unit's coil or throw debris into it, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the fins directly. Either one restricts the airflow the coil needs to cool your home, and you notice it as weaker cooling or a system that runs longer than it used to.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 1 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 31 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $40 a year off cooling for a typical Alexandria home.
Estimates for a typical Alexandria home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Virginia 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.
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Board for Contractors tests and records the contractor, not the individual job. That license is the credential behind the person coming to your house, and it stays with them from one repair to the next. Virginia does carve out an exception. Work under $1,000 does not need a licensed contractor.
If your repair involves the refrigerant side of the system, the contractor working on it also needs EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal requirement, and it applies in every state regardless of what Virginia licenses. It covers a different thing than the state license. It says the technician is trained to handle refrigerant without releasing it into the air.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first since it is the easiest fix. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that repair has to be done by a technician with EPA 608 certification since it means opening the refrigerant side of the system. A failing compressor or a frozen evaporator coil can also cut off cold air, and both need a contractor to diagnose properly. With summer afternoons here averaging 86°F, a system that is not cooling right will not keep up for long.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the condensate drain line is clogged, and water backs up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the drain pan has rusted through or cracked, especially in an older unit. A dirty air filter can cause this too, since restricted airflow lets the evaporator coil ice up, and the water shows up once it melts. Any of these is worth having looked at soon, since water damage around the unit gets worse the longer it sits.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power, is set to cool, and the temperature is set below the room temperature. If that is not it, check the breaker. A tripped breaker will keep the whole system from starting, and one that keeps tripping again points to an electrical problem inside the unit. That kind of problem needs a contractor to find, and they will price the job once they see what is wrong.