AC Repair in Rolla, MO
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Phelps County will get in touch.
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Five months of hard running takes a toll
Your air conditioner works May through September in Rolla, with summer afternoons averaging 87°F. That is five straight months of long run times, and the compressor and the capacitor that starts it feel that load the most. A weak capacitor gives out on one of those hot afternoons, and the unit hums or clicks but the compressor never kicks on.
Phelps County has also logged 55 hail events and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Hail up to 2 inches can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or dent the cabinet, and wind that strong can knock branches and debris into the coil. A condenser that took a hit like that will often run weaker than before, even if it still turns on.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 55 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 56 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Phelps County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Phelps County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Missouri 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 coil or lines. A dirty outdoor unit can do the same thing, since it needs clear airflow around it to move heat out of your house. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear of debris, the problem is likely refrigerant or the compressor, and that calls for a contractor with gauges to check the charge.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line that carries condensation away is probably clogged. That line grows algae and gunk over a summer of running, and once it backs up the water has nowhere to go but out of the unit. It can also mean the coil has frozen over, usually from low airflow or a low refrigerant charge, and water is dripping as it thaws. Either way it is worth shutting the system off until a contractor looks at it, since a frozen coil that keeps running can damage the compressor.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check the batteries and make sure it is set to cool and below the room temperature. If that is not it, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. Rolla gets its share of hail and wind storms, and a hit to the outdoor unit or a power surge can trip a breaker or damage a component, so if the breaker keeps tripping it is worth having a contractor check the unit rather than resetting it again.