AC Repair in Lancaster, SC
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lancaster County will get in touch.
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Five months of Lancaster summer heat wears an AC down
From May through September your air conditioner has to keep up with afternoons that average 89°F. That is five straight months of long run times, and the compressor and the capacitor that helps start it take the brunt of it. When a capacitor weakens, the unit struggles to start or the outdoor fan just hums. When the compressor is strained too long, it can trip the breaker or shut itself down to protect against overheating.
Lancaster County has also seen 133 damaging wind events and 46 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil or knock debris into the unit, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or the fins themselves. Either one cuts down how well the coil sheds heat, and you notice it as a system that runs longer but cools less.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 89°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 46 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 133 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $50 a year off cooling for a typical Lancaster County home.
Estimates for a typical Lancaster 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 often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty filter will freeze the coil over time, and once that happens you get warm air or none at all until it thaws. With five months of cooling ahead and afternoons near 89°F, it is worth having a contractor check refrigerant levels and airflow rather than waiting to see if it clears up on its own.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your AC usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, so the water that should run outside is backing up and finding another way out. It can also mean the coil has frozen and is now melting, which points back to low airflow or low refrigerant. Either way the fix is for a contractor to clear the line or find what caused the freeze, since a clogged drain left alone can damage the floor or ceiling below the unit.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat batteries and the breaker for the outdoor unit, since both are common culprits and both are easy to check yourself. If those are fine, the capacitor that gets the compressor and fan started may have failed, which is a common wear part on any AC. Lancaster sees its share of damaging wind, with 133 events over the last ten years, and a power surge from a storm can also trip a breaker or damage electrical components, so a contractor can test the system to find which one it is.