AC Maintenance in Somerset, KY
Air conditioners here run from June through September, so May is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Pulaski County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of hard work every summer
Your air conditioner in Somerset runs from June through September, and on afternoons that average 84°F it doesn't get much of a break in between. That kind of steady demand puts real hours on the compressor and the fan motor, the two parts doing the most work every time the system cycles on.
Pulaski County has also seen 167 damaging wind events and 26 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it, and bent fins or a knocked-loose panel from a storm can go unnoticed until the system is struggling on the next hot afternoon. A tune-up checks the coil and cabinet for that kind of damage, along with the refrigerant charge and electrical connections, before the next stretch of 84-degree days asks the system for everything it has.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 26 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 167 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in May, before homes here start needing cooling in June.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
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- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Kentucky requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Kentucky issues the HVAC license to the contractor, not to each job, so the same license that qualifies them for an installation is what covers this maintenance visit. The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction is the body that tested and records that contractor.
For a maintenance visit on an air conditioner, that license is what backs the person doing the work. If the visit includes opening the refrigerant side of the system to check charge or pressure, federal law also requires that technician to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same requirement that applies in every state, separate from Kentucky's license.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician cleans the condenser coil, checks the refrigerant charge, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the blower, and confirm the thermostat is calling for cooling correctly. They also check the condensate drain, since a clogged one can back up and cause water damage. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of the system to check the charge has to hold EPA 608 certification, so this is not a job for someone without that credential.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the season it has to work hardest. Here that means getting it looked at before June, since homes in Somerset run their AC from June through September. A single yearly visit catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before a 84°F afternoon turns it into a no-cool call.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most breakdowns trace back to something a technician would have caught. A dirty coil, a failing capacitor, or a low refrigerant charge all show up in a maintenance check before they cause the system to quit outright. Somerset also sees real storm exposure, with 167 damaging wind events and 26 hail events over the past ten years, so having the system checked yearly gives a contractor a chance to spot storm damage before it turns into a bigger repair.