AC Maintenance in Lubbock, TX
Air conditioners here run from May through September, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Lubbock County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Lubbock heat is hard on a system
From May through September your air conditioner is working most days, and on the average summer afternoon it is pushing against 92°F. That kind of stretch adds up on the parts that keep the system running, the capacitor, the contactor, the condenser coil.
Lubbock also sees its share of hail and wind, 93 hail events and 150 damaging wind events over the last ten years, with hail up to 4.5 inches. That kind of weather can bend the fins on an outdoor unit or knock it out of alignment without you noticing right away. A tune-up is when a contractor checks the coil and the cabinet for that kind of damage, along with the wear that five months of summer puts on the rest of the system.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 93 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 150 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 and records the contractor, not the job. That license stays with the person or business doing the work, so it carries over from one air conditioner to the next rather than being issued fresh each time someone calls.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what backs the person coming to your house. If the work involves opening the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, checking the charge or the coil, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which every state requires and Texas does not replace with its own license.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician cleans the condenser coil, checks the refrigerant charge, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain is one of the most common reasons a system stops cooling in summer. They also check the thermostat calibration and look at electrical connections, because a loose connection is a common cause of a system that trips its breaker. Replacing or cleaning the filter is part of this too, since a dirty filter restricts airflow across the coil.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year is enough for most systems, done before the heat starts. Homes here run their AC from May through September, so getting it checked before that stretch begins means it's ready before summer afternoons that average 92°F. A yearly check is enough as long as it happens before the season, not during it.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most breakdowns come from problems that build up slowly, like a dirty coil or a weakening capacitor, and a technician can catch those before the system quits on a hot afternoon. A system cooling through a dirty coil has to work harder to do it, and that strain is what wears out parts early. Homes here need cooling for five months a year, so a system that fails partway through that stretch means going without cooling until someone can get to it. A yearly check is cheap insurance against that.