AC Repair in London, KY
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Laurel County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of heat, hard on the system
Your air conditioner in Laurel County works a short, hard season. June through September, with afternoons averaging 84°F, it runs long hours to keep up. That steady load falls on the compressor and the run capacitor that keeps it starting, and both wear from the work.
The storms here add another strain. Ten years of records show 115 damaging wind events and hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can rock the outdoor unit on its pad and loosen the electrical connections inside it, and hail can dent the coil fins that let it release heat. When that coil is damaged, the system struggles to cool the house even though it is running.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 115 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $30 a year off cooling for a typical Laurel County home.
Estimates for a typical Laurel 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 issues the HVAC license to the contractor through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. It stays with that contractor rather than being pulled for each job.
For a repair on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, whoever does that also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal requirement in every state, not something Kentucky adds on top.
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 that happens the coil can ice up, and once it's iced the air coming through the vents turns warm or stops moving altogether. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing, but only a licensed technician can check refrigerant, since that requires opening the sealed system. A failing capacitor or compressor will also leave you with air movement but no cooling, so a contractor needs to look at the whole system rather than guess from one symptom.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dust build up inside that line over a season of running, and once it's blocked the water backs up and finds another way out, often through the drain pan overflow. A dirty filter can cause this too, by icing the coil, then dripping steadily as that ice melts. Either way the fix means clearing or repairing the drain system, not just wiping up the water.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. A dead thermostat battery, a tripped breaker, or a blown fuse at the outdoor unit will all keep an AC from starting even though nothing inside it is actually broken. If those check out fine, the problem is likely electrical inside the unit itself, a failed capacitor or contactor being the usual suspects, and that calls for a licensed contractor. With 115 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, it's also worth checking whether the outdoor unit took a hit or lost power during a storm.