AC Maintenance in Fort Worth, 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 Tarrant County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of Texas heat wears on a system fast
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 94°F. That means the compressor is cycling on and off for six straight months, most days with no real break to cool down between runs.
Tarrant County has also seen 416 hail events and 253 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 5 inches recorded. That kind of weather can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or knock it out of alignment without you noticing right away. A tune-up checks the coil and the fins for damage, and confirms the system is running the way it should before the next stretch of hot afternoons sets in.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 94°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 416 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 253 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 issues that license, and it tests and tracks the contractor, not the visit. One license covers everything that contractor does under it, whether it's a repair call or a full installation, so the state's record is on the business, not on each job.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the person working on your air conditioner. If the technician needs to check refrigerant levels or get into the sealed side of the system, they also need EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement in every state and separate from the Texas license. Between the two, Texas has both ends of an AC maintenance visit covered.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant pressure, cleans the condenser coil outside, and tests the capacitor and contactor that start the compressor. They also check the blower motor, inspect the ductwork for obvious leaks, and change or check the filter. Part of the visit is just running the system through a full cycle to see if it cools the way it should and shuts off the way it should.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the season it works hardest. Here that means getting it checked in spring, ahead of the six months of cooling from May through October. A unit that sits idle over winter and then gets asked to run through 94°F afternoons needs to be checked while it's still cool enough outside to fix anything without you sweating it out.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, mainly because it catches small problems before they become breakdowns in the middle of summer. A worn capacitor or a dirty coil won't stop your AC cold, but it makes the compressor work harder, and that's how compressors fail. Fort Worth also sees frequent hail and wind storms, so a yearly check is a good time to look over the outdoor unit for storm damage before it turns into a bigger repair.