AC Maintenance in Athens, GA
Air conditioners here run from May through September, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Clarke County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Athens heat, then storm season on top of it
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here. Summer afternoons average 88°F, and the compressor is what keeps the house cool through all of it.
A tune-up checks the parts carrying that load. That means the refrigerant charge, the condenser coil, and the electrical connections that heat and vibration work loose over time. Athens has also logged 48 damaging wind events and 10 hail storms in the last ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. A unit that rode out a storm can still be running with damage that has not shown itself yet. A tune-up is when that kind of damage gets found.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 10 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 48 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in April, before homes here start needing cooling in May.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state license comes from the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, and it tested the contractor before the state put their name on record. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the specific job at your house, so the same license that qualifies them to install a system also qualifies them to maintain one.
For a maintenance visit on an air conditioner, most of the work is inspection and adjustment, but if the technician opens the refrigerant side of your system, federal law requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that requirement holds in every state regardless of what Georgia does with its own license.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant levels, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain can back up and cause water damage. They also check the thermostat calibration and look over the electrical connections. Replacing or cleaning the filter is part of this too, since a dirty filter restricts airflow across the coil and makes the whole system work harder.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally in spring before the cooling season starts. Athens homes run their AC from May through September, so getting it checked before those months means problems get caught before the heat sets in. A yearly check also gives a technician the chance to catch a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it causes a breakdown on a 88 degree afternoon.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes. A system that runs five months a year here relies on clean coils and correct refrigerant levels to cool the house without straining the compressor. Regular maintenance catches worn parts like a failing capacitor before they cause a breakdown, and it keeps the airflow through the coil at the level the system was built for. A contractor can walk through what a maintenance visit would cost for your specific system.