AC Repair in Suffolk, VA
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Suffolk will get in touch.
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Five months of Suffolk heat wears an AC down fast
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 87°F. That is five straight months of long runtimes, and the compressor and the capacitor that starts it take the brunt of it. A weak capacitor shows up as a unit that hums but won't start, or a compressor that shuts off on its own on the hottest afternoons.
Suffolk also sees its share of rough weather. Ten years of storm records show 45 damaging wind events and 5 hail events, one leaving a hailstone an inch across. Wind drives debris into the outdoor unit's fins and coil, and hail can dent them. Either one blocks airflow, and the system has to work harder to do the same job.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 5 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 45 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 Suffolk home.
Estimates for a typical Suffolk 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 license Virginia issues through the Board for Contractors covers the contractor, not the specific job, so it stands behind everything that contractor touches, not just this repair. Work under $1,000 falls outside that requirement, so a small repair on your air conditioner may not need a licensed contractor at all.
Whatever the job's size, anyone opening the refrigerant side of your air conditioner needs EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that applies in every state. That certification is not the same as the state license and does not cover the rest of the work, only the handling of refrigerant itself.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak. A dirty filter makes the coil freeze up, and once that happens the air coming out feels weak or warm even though the unit is running. Low refrigerant needs a licensed contractor with EPA 608 certification, since only someone certified can legally open that side of the system. Check the filter first. If it's clean and the air is still warm, the problem is inside the system and needs a professional look.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The condensate drain line is likely clogged, or the coil has frozen and is now thawing. Your AC pulls a lot of moisture out of the air all summer, and that water is supposed to run out through a drain line to the outside. When that line clogs with algae or debris, the water backs up and drips into the house instead. A frozen coil does the same thing once it melts, usually from low airflow or low refrigerant. Either way, a contractor can clear the line or find out why the coil froze in the first place.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. A dead thermostat display or a tripped breaker will stop the whole system cold and both are easy to check yourself. If the breaker keeps tripping once you reset it, that points to an electrical problem inside the unit and it needs a licensed contractor to look at it rather than resetting it again. Suffolk sees its share of damaging wind through the summer storm season, so it's also worth checking that nothing outside knocked loose a connection to the outdoor unit.