AC Repair in La Grange, KY
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Oldham County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Kentucky heat, then storms on top of it
Your air conditioner in La Grange runs from May through September. On afternoons that average 86°F, it is cycling on and off for hours at a stretch, and the compressor and the run capacitor take that load every one of those five months.
Oldham County has also seen 60 damaging wind events and 23 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can rock the outdoor unit on its pad and strain the refrigerant lines. Hail that size can dent the condenser fins and bend the coil, and once the fins are crushed the unit can't shed heat the way it needs to. You notice it as warm air from the vents, a unit that runs longer than it used to, or one that won't start at all.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 23 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 60 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 Oldham County home.
Estimates for a typical Oldham 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.
The state license comes from the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. It covers the contractor, not the individual job, so the same license backs everything that contractor does under it, not just the repair happening at your house.
An air conditioner repair usually means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that takes a separate federal certification. Anyone in the country who works on refrigerant must hold EPA Section 608 certification, no matter what state they are in. In Kentucky, the contractor doing the work is expected to hold both the state license and that federal certification.
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 a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When the filter is clogged, the coil can ice up and the air coming through the vents turns weak or warm. A refrigerant leak causes the same symptom, but only a licensed technician with EPA 608 certification can legally check the charge and repair a leak. Check the filter first, and if it is clean, the system needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water is supposed to run out through a drain line to the outside. When the line clogs with algae or debris, the water backs up and drips inside instead, sometimes into the drain pan and sometimes onto the floor near the unit. A dirty filter can also cause the coil to ice over, and water shows up when that ice melts. Either way, a contractor can clear the line or find the actual cause.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and below room temperature, and check the breaker panel for a tripped switch, since a hard summer runs the compressor a lot and can trip a weak breaker. If the power is fine and it still won't start, the capacitor or the contactor may have failed, and those parts need a licensed technician to test and replace. With summer afternoons here averaging 86°F, a system that won't start is worth getting looked at quickly.