AC Repair in Shelbyville, KY
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Shelby County will get in touch.
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Five months of heat, hard on the system
Your air conditioner works May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 85°F. That is five straight months of long run times, and the compressor and the fan motor are what carry that load. Parts that run for hours at a stretch wear faster than parts that cycle on and off a few times a day.
Shelby County has also seen 50 damaging wind events and 21 hail storms over the past ten years, one dropping hail 1.75 inches across. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it, and hail that size can bend the fins on the condenser coil or damage the fan. If your air is not cooling like it should after a storm, or the outdoor unit sounds different than it used to, that is where to look.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 50 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 Shelby County home.
Estimates for a typical Shelby 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, and it means the contractor was tested and is on record with the state. That license is tied to the contractor as a business, not issued fresh for each job they take on.
For a repair on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the work. If the job involves opening the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is required everywhere in the country and is separate from the state license.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that happens the coil can ice up, and once it's iced over the air coming through the vents turns warm or weak. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing, but only a licensed technician can check refrigerant, since opening that side of the system takes EPA certification. A dirty outdoor unit, one blocked by grass clippings or leaves, can also stop the system from shedding heat the way it needs to.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most often the drain line has clogged with algae or dirt and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the coil has frozen and is now melting, usually because airflow was restricted by a dirty filter. Either way, water pooling near your indoor unit means something is stopping condensation from leaving the way it should, and it is worth having looked at before it damages the floor or the unit itself.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check the batteries and make sure it is set to cool and below room temperature. If that is not it, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. If the breaker is fine and the thermostat is calling for cooling but nothing happens, the problem is inside the unit and needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.