AC Repair in Columbus, GA
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Muscogee County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Georgia heat wears an AC down
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, and on a 90°F afternoon it doesn't get much of a break between cycles. That kind of steady runtime wears on the compressor and puts real strain on the capacitor that helps start it. When the capacitor weakens, the outdoor unit hums but the compressor won't kick on, and the house stops cooling.
Muscogee County also sees its share of hail and wind, with 14 hail events and 51 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Hail up to 1.75 inches can bend the thin fins on an outdoor coil, and wind-driven debris does the same. Bent fins choke off airflow across the coil, so the system runs longer to do the same job, or stops cooling well at all.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 14 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 51 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $70 a year off cooling for a typical Muscogee County home.
Estimates for a typical Muscogee County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Georgia 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.
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The State Construction Industry Licensing Board tests contractors before they can hold this license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That is what stands behind the work here. The contractor was tested once, not certified job by job.
Fixing an air conditioner usually means opening the refrigerant side of the system. Federal law requires anyone who does that, in every state, to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is separate from the state license and covers the handling of refrigerant specifically.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that happens the coil can ice up, and once it's iced over the air coming through the vents turns warm. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing, but that's not something to check yourself. Start by pulling the filter and looking at it in the light. If it's gray or fuzzy, replace it and see if the air cools back down within an hour.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dust build up inside that line over a cooling season and block it, so the water backs up and drips out wherever it can, often near the indoor unit. It can also mean the drain pan has rusted through if the system is older. Either way, a contractor can clear the line or replace the pan, but water pooling near electrical parts is a reason to shut the system off until it's looked at.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it's set to cool and the temperature is set below the room temperature, and replace the batteries if it has a blank or dim screen. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker. If the indoor blower runs but nothing happens outside, that breaker is the first place to look before calling anyone.