AC Repair in Macon-Bibb County, GA
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bibb County will get in touch.
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Five months of Georgia heat wears an AC down fast
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, and summer afternoons average 91°F. That is five straight months where the compressor and capacitor rarely get a break, and parts that carry that kind of load all season are the ones most likely to give out.
Macon-Bibb has also seen 55 damaging wind events over the past ten years, along with hail up to 2 inches. Wind can knock debris into an outdoor unit or work its electrical connections loose, and hail that size can bend the fins on a condenser coil. When that happens, the air coming from your vents will not be as cold as it should be, or the unit outside will run without keeping up.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 5 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 55 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $60 a year off cooling for a typical Bibb County home.
Estimates for a typical Bibb 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 issues that license after a contractor passes a trade exam, and it keeps a record of who holds one. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the specific job at your house, so it tells you this person or company has met the state's standard, not that this particular repair was signed off by anyone.
For a repair like this, that license is what stands behind the work. Since your air conditioner runs on refrigerant, whoever opens that side of the system also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the federal credential required for that kind of work in every state. Between the two, you have a contractor the state has tested and a technician certified to handle the refrigerant itself.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, or the outdoor unit's coil caked with dirt so it can't release heat. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that one needs a contractor with EPA 608 certification to touch, since it means opening the refrigerant side of the system. If the air coming out is warm or barely moving, check the filter first. If it's already clean, the problem is inside the system and worth having looked at before your Macon summer afternoon hits 91 degrees again.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. Algae and dirt build up in that line over a cooling season and block it. It can also mean the coil is frozen and now thawing, which points to restricted airflow or low refrigerant. Either way, a licensed HVAC contractor should find the actual cause rather than just clearing the puddle, since the line clogs again if what caused the blockage isn't addressed.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker, since those cause more no-start calls than any failed part. If the thermostat display is blank, check the batteries. If the unit still won't run, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. Macon-Bibb County sees a good number of damaging wind events each year, and a power interruption during a storm can trip a breaker without you noticing. If power and thermostat both check out, the problem is inside the system and needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.