AC Repair in Columbus, OH
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Franklin County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running in Franklin County
Your air conditioner works June through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 84°F. That is the stretch where it runs longest and hardest, often for hours without a break.
Franklin County has also seen 79 hail events and 174 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Hail dents the fins on the outdoor coil and bends the coil itself, and wind can drive debris into the unit or knock it out of alignment. A coil that is dented or blocked cannot shed heat the way it should, and the house stops cooling the way it did before.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 79 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 174 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 Franklin County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Franklin County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Ohio 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.
In Ohio, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the counties.
Franklin County sets its own rule for who can do this kind of work, since Ohio leaves HVAC licensing to the counties rather than running a state license itself. Ohio does define what a home contractor is, and that definition includes carrying at least $250,000 in liability insurance, but that is a description of the business, not a test anyone has to pass.
Because the license question depends on the county rather than the state, the protection that does apply everywhere is federal. Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, which a repair usually calls for, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is the credential that says someone was tested on handling refrigerant, and it applies in Franklin County the same as anywhere else in the country.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the air filter is clogged, and restricted airflow keeps the coil from doing its job. A dirty or frozen evaporator coil is the next thing to check, since ice on the coil blocks the air instead of cooling it. Low refrigerant from a leak will also do this, and that's a repair for a contractor since it means opening the sealed system. If the outdoor unit isn't running at all while the indoor fan blows warm air, the problem is likely the compressor or the capacitor that starts it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The condensate drain line is probably clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water drains out through a small line to the outside. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and finds another way out, usually around the indoor unit. A frozen coil that then thaws will cause the same kind of leak, so it's worth checking whether the system has been running properly or short-cycling before that.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool, the temperature is below the room temperature, and it has power or fresh batteries. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker for the outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker will stop the whole system cold. A capacitor or contactor failure inside the outdoor unit will also keep it from starting, and that's something a contractor needs to test and replace.