AC Maintenance in San Antonio, TX
Air conditioners here run from April through October, so March is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Bexar County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of Texas heat wears on your AC
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months of the year. On a 95°F afternoon it does not cycle off and on the way it would in milder weather. It runs long and hard, hour after hour, to hold the house at temperature. That kind of runtime adds up on the compressor, the fan motor, and the capacitor that gets the compressor started each time it kicks on.
Bexar County has also seen 268 hail events and 104 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 5.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it. Hail can bend the fins on the condenser coil, and wind can throw debris into the cabinet. A tune-up is where a contractor checks the coil, the fins, and the electrical connections for that kind of damage.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 95°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 268 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 104 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in March, before homes here start needing cooling in April.
- 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.
TDLR is the agency that licenses HVAC contractors in Texas, and that license covers the contractor, not each job. The same license applies whether they are out for a tune-up or a full install.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the person working on the condenser. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system to check the charge, federal law also requires EPA Section 608 certification, separate from the state license and required for that work in every state.
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 and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain is one of the most common causes of water damage and shutdowns. They also check the thermostat's calibration and look at the ductwork for obvious leaks or damage. With homes here needing cooling April through October, a system that gets checked before the season starts runs into fewer surprises later on.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the cooling season starts. Homes here run their air conditioner from April through October, with summer afternoons averaging 95°F, so a system that starts that stretch with a clean coil and correct refrigerant charge holds up better through the months that follow. If your system is older or gets used hard, a contractor can tell you whether it needs a second check partway through the season.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially here, where the system runs from April through October and rarely gets a real break. A dirty coil or low refrigerant charge makes the compressor work harder, and that wear adds up over a seven month cooling season. Maintenance also catches small things, a failing capacitor, a clogged drain, before they turn into a system that quits on a 95°F afternoon.