AC Repair in Norfolk, VA
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Norfolk will get in touch.
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Five months of Norfolk heat wears an AC down
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 86°F. That is a long stretch of steady, hard running, not just a few hot spikes. The compressor and the capacitor that helps start it take the brunt of that load, and capacitors especially wear out after seasons of long run times.
Norfolk also sees real storms, including damaging wind fifty times over the past ten years and hail up to an inch and a quarter. Wind can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or throw debris into it, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the coil inside it. If your air conditioner suddenly cools worse after a storm, or won't start at all when the weather turns hot again, those are the two things this climate does to it.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 10 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 50 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $50 a year off cooling for a typical Norfolk home.
Estimates for a typical Norfolk 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 contractors before they get a license. That license belongs to the business, not to any one job it does in your home. Virginia carves out one exception. Work under $1,000 does not need a licensed contractor at all. Anything above that line falls under the state's rule.
For an air conditioner repair, the license is what stands behind the person in your home. If the job involves opening the refrigerant lines, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is federal and applies in every state, no matter what Virginia requires on top of it.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so start there before anything else. A clogged filter starves the coil of air and it can freeze over, which cuts cooling and can push ice back into the line set. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, but only a technician with EPA 608 certification can legally check refrigerant levels or touch that side of the system. If the filter looks clean and the air is still warm, the compressor or a control board may be at fault, and that needs a contractor to diagnose.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. That line can also back up if the coil has frozen and is now melting, often because airflow is restricted or refrigerant is low. Either way, the drain pan or line needs attention before the water damages anything nearby.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it is set to cool, the temperature is below room temperature, and the batteries are not dead. If that looks right, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the outdoor unit. Summers here bring damaging wind often enough that a power surge or outage is worth considering if the breaker keeps tripping. If the breaker is fine and the unit still will not start, a contractor will need to look at the capacitor or the control board.