AC Repair in Fort Thomas, KY
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Campbell County will get in touch.
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Four months of heat, and storms in between
Your air conditioner in Fort Thomas has a short season to do its job, June through September, and afternoons in that stretch average 85°F. That means the compressor and the fan run hard for four months, then sit idle the rest of the year. A unit that starts and stops after months of doing nothing is more likely to trip on a part that quietly failed over the winter.
Campbell County has also seen 23 hail events and 43 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches. Hail that size can bend the thin aluminum fins on the outdoor coil, and hard wind can rock the unit on its pad or pull at the wiring running to it. If your AC is struggling now, a storm may be part of why.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 23 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 43 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $40 a year off cooling for a typical Campbell County home.
Estimates for a typical Campbell County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Kentucky 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.
Kentucky requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Kentucky licenses HVAC contractors through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. The license covers the contractor as a whole, not each individual job, so it tells you this person has met the state's licensing standard, not that this particular repair was signed off by anyone.
For an air conditioner repair, the refrigerant side of the job carries its own requirement. Any technician who opens that side of your system, anywhere in the country, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is federal, separate from the state license, and it applies no matter which state the work happens in.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is low refrigerant from a leak, but a dirty air filter or a frozen evaporator coil can do the same thing. If the filter is clogged, airflow drops and the coil can ice over, so you get weak or warm air even though the unit runs. A contractor with EPA Section 608 certification is required by federal law to work on the refrigerant side, so if the filter isn't the problem, that's likely where it's headed.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the evaporator coil froze and is now melting faster than the drain can handle it. Either way the water needs somewhere to go, and a blocked line or pan is the place to start looking.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. If those check out, the problem is often the capacitor, which gives the compressor and fan motor the jolt they need to start. A licensed HVAC contractor can test the capacitor and the electrical components safely, since Kentucky requires a state license for this kind of work.