AC Maintenance in Covington, 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 Newton County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of load, every year
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, and on the afternoons that hit 89°F it doesn't get much of a break. That kind of stretch wears on the parts that keep the system running, the capacitor that gets the compressor started, the contactor that switches it on and off all day, the refrigerant charge that has to stay right for the coil to do its job.
A tune-up checks those things while the system is still working, not after it quits on a hot afternoon. It's also worth having someone look at the unit after a bad storm. Newton County has seen hail and damaging wind over the past ten years, and a bent fin or a cracked cabinet from a storm isn't always obvious until the season's heat finds it.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 89°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 6 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 39 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 Construction Industry Licensing Board tests and records the contractor, not the crew member who shows up at your door. Georgia issues the license to the business, so the same license covers whatever job that contractor takes on, not this particular visit.
For a maintenance call on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the work. If the technician opens the refrigerant lines to check the charge, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule that applies in every state. Georgia's license is what you can trace back to a person the state has tested.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant pressure, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the condensate drain to make sure it isn't clogged. They'll also check that the thermostat calls for cooling correctly and look at electrical connections for wear. A dirty coil or a weak capacitor is often what leads to a breakdown during the hottest part of summer, so catching those early is the point of the visit.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally in spring before the heat starts. Here that means getting it done before May, since the system runs hard from May through September with afternoons averaging 89°F. A once-a-year check catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before it fails during those months.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of the failures that leave a house without cooling during the summer start as small problems a technician can catch in spring. A refrigerant leak, a failing capacitor, or a coil caked with dirt all show up during a maintenance visit before they cause the system to quit. Covington also sees enough wind and hail to affect an outdoor unit over the years, so having someone look it over yearly means storm damage doesn't go unnoticed until the unit stops working.