AC Maintenance in Dallas, TX
Air conditioners here run from May through October, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Dallas County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of Dallas heat wears on your AC
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 94°F. That is six straight months of the compressor cycling on and off, day after day, to keep up.
A tune-up during that stretch checks the refrigerant charge and the condenser coil before the heat finds the weak point for you. It also catches what the storms leave behind. Dallas County has logged 186 hail events and 145 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and hail here has reached 4 inches across. That kind of storm can bend fins or knock the outdoor unit out of alignment without it being obvious from the ground.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 94°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 186 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 145 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in April, before homes here start needing cooling in May.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation tests contractors before it licenses them, then keeps their record on file. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a new install covers a maintenance visit like this one.
For AC maintenance, the license is what stands behind the work. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system, checking charge or refrigerant pressure, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same certification required anywhere in the country. In Texas, that certification sits alongside the state license rather than in place of it.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil, the blower, and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain line can back up and shut the system down or cause water damage. They also check the thermostat calls for cooling and change or check the filter. In Dallas the coil check matters more than in milder climates, since the system runs from May through October and afternoons hit 94°F on average.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year is standard, done before the cooling season starts. Homes here run their AC from May through October, so scheduling the check in early spring gives a contractor time to catch a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before six months of hot afternoons put real load on the system. Skipping a year does not always cause a breakdown, but it makes small problems more likely to turn into a no-cool call once summer sets in.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of what causes a summer breakdown, a failing capacitor, a dirty coil, a low refrigerant charge, shows up during a check before it stops the system. Dallas summers run six months at an average high of 94°F, so a unit that goes down has no easy season to wait it out in. Maintenance also catches storm-related issues early. Dallas has logged 186 hail events and 145 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and hail or debris can dent a condenser coil or bend its fins in ways that are not obvious just looking at the unit.