AC Repair in Nicholasville, KY
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Jessamine County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Five months of heat, then storms on top of it
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, and on the afternoons that hit 85°F it runs long stretches to keep up. That kind of steady run time wears on the compressor and the fan motor, the parts that carry the load hour after hour. You notice it as a system that runs longer than it used to, or one that quits in the middle of the afternoon and won't start again.
Jessamine County has also seen 37 damaging wind events and 9 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches. Wind can knock the outdoor unit's panels loose or bend the fins that let it release heat. Hail that size can dent the cabinet and damage the coil underneath. After a storm, a unit that was running fine the day before may start blowing warm air or struggle to keep the house cool.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 9 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 37 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 Jessamine County home.
Estimates for a typical Jessamine 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 Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues that license, and it covers the contractor as a business, not the specific job at your house.
For an air conditioner repair, that license is what stands behind the contractor's name. The refrigerant work itself falls under a separate federal rule that applies in every state. Anyone who opens the refrigerant side of your system, to fix a leak or recharge it, has to hold EPA Section 608 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 low refrigerant from a leak somewhere in the line set or coil. A dirty air filter or a coil caked with dust can also block airflow enough that what comes out feels warm. Sometimes the outdoor unit's compressor has failed and the system is just moving air without cooling it at all. A contractor will need to check refrigerant charge and pressures to know which one it is, since only someone with EPA 608 certification is allowed to open the refrigerant side of the system.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the evaporator coil has frozen over and is now melting and overflowing the drain pan. A frozen coil is usually a sign of low airflow, often from a dirty filter, or low refrigerant. With five months of cooling season here and summer afternoons averaging 85°F, these systems run long hours and drain lines have more chances to clog with algae or debris.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power, is set to cool, and the set temperature is actually below the room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, the problem is likely a tripped breaker, a blown fuse at the outdoor unit's disconnect box, or a failed capacitor that the compressor needs to start. Nicholasville has seen 37 damaging wind events and 9 hail events over the past ten years, so if the unit stopped working during or right after a storm, it is worth having a contractor check for storm damage to the outdoor unit or its wiring.