AC Repair in Sierra Vista, AZ
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Cochise County will get in touch.
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Five months of heat, and storms in between
Your air conditioner runs May through September in Sierra Vista, with summer afternoons averaging 92°F. That is five straight months where the compressor is working most of the day to keep up. Long runs like that wear on the capacitor and the contactor, the parts that start the compressor and keep it running. When one of them gives out, the unit either won't start or the fan runs while the compressor stays silent.
Cochise County has logged 104 damaging wind events and 36 hail events over the past ten years. Wind drives debris into the outdoor unit and can bend the fins on the coil, blocking the airflow it needs. Hail dents the cabinet and the coil fins too. After a storm like that, listen for a rattle or a knock coming from the outdoor unit, and check whether it is blowing warm air.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 36 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 104 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 Cochise County home.
Estimates for a typical Cochise County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Arizona 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.
Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors tests HVAC contractors before they get a license, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the same license covers this repair as would cover a full installation. It is a record the state keeps, not a one-time approval for this air conditioner.
A repair on an air conditioner usually means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and federal law requires anyone who does that to hold EPA Section 608 certification, in Arizona same as anywhere else. The state license tells you the contractor was tested and is on record with the Registrar. The federal certification is separate from that, and it is what covers the refrigerant work itself.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, or the thermostat set to fan instead of cool. Low refrigerant from a leak will also do it, and that will not fix itself by adding more, since the leak has to be found and sealed first. With summer afternoons here running near 92°F, a system that's low on refrigerant or short on airflow struggles to keep up. Check the filter and thermostat setting first, since those are the two things you can rule out yourself before calling a contractor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit almost always means the condensate drain line is clogged or the coil has frozen and is now melting. Algae and dirt build up in the drain line over time and block it, so the water backs up and finds another way out. A dirty filter can also cause the coil to freeze by starving it of airflow, and once it thaws, that water has to go somewhere. Turning the system off until a contractor clears the line or checks the coil will keep the leak from getting worse.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. A tripped breaker, a dead thermostat display, or a switch on the outdoor disconnect left in the off position will all stop the system cold. If those check out and it still won't start, the capacitor that gets the compressor or fan motor running may have failed, which is a common cause of a unit that just sits there. A contractor can test the capacitor and the rest of the electrical components to find out which one it is.