AC Repair in Aiken, SC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Aiken County will get in touch.
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Five months of Aiken summer heat wears an AC down
From May through September your air conditioner runs almost every day, working against afternoons that average 91°F. That kind of stretch doesn't let the system rest, and the parts that cycle the most, the compressor and the capacitor, are the ones that wear out first. A weak capacitor can't get the compressor started, and the unit hums but never kicks on.
Aiken County has also seen 52 hail events and 185 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Hail that size can dent or puncture the thin fins on your outdoor unit, and wind-blown debris does the same. Once those fins are crushed, the unit can't shed heat the way it should, and it struggles to cool the house even when it's running fine otherwise.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 52 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 185 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 Aiken County home.
Estimates for a typical Aiken County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, South Carolina 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.
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, so check that first. A dirty filter makes the coil ice over, and once that happens the air coming out turns warm instead of cold. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing but that's not something you can fix yourself. If the filter looks clean and you're still getting warm air, the system needs a contractor to check the charge and the coil.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line is probably clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air all day during the months it runs here, and that water is supposed to flow out through a condensate line. Algae and dirt build up inside that line over the cooling season and block it, so the water backs up and drips out near the indoor unit instead. A frozen coil that's now melting will cause the same kind of leak, so if you've noticed weak airflow too, mention that when you get someone out to look at it.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and below the room temperature, and check the breaker panel for a tripped switch, since a spike from a storm can knock one out. If those are fine, the capacitor that starts the outdoor unit may have failed, which is a common reason a system stays completely silent. That part wears out with age and heat and isn't something to test yourself, so it's worth having a contractor check it before the next hot stretch.