AC Repair in Austin, TX
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Travis County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of heat, plus what the storms do to it
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 95°F. That is seven straight months of the compressor cycling on most days, longer than a lot of places ask of the same parts.
The outdoor unit takes the brunt of what comes with Texas weather. Travis County has seen 147 hail events and 103 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches recorded. Hail that size dents the condenser fins, and bent fins block the airflow the system needs to cool the house. Wind carries debris into the same unit or knocks it off level. When that happens, you notice the house isn't cooling like it should, or the system runs longer than it used to just to keep up.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 95°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 147 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 103 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $80 a year off cooling for a typical Travis County home.
Estimates for a typical Travis County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Texas 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.
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not tied to your specific repair. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation tests and records the person or business taking the job, so the credential follows them from one house to the next rather than getting issued fresh each time.
Your air conditioner repair likely means someone opens the refrigerant side of the system, and that work needs EPA Section 608 certification no matter what state you're in. That certification is federal and separate from the Texas license. Between the two, the state license accounts for who is allowed to run the business and take the job, and the federal certification accounts for who is allowed to handle the refrigerant itself.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can cause it to ice up and blow warm. A refrigerant leak will do the same thing, and so will a failing compressor. Check the filter first since that's the one thing you can rule out yourself, then have a contractor check refrigerant levels and the compressor if the filter isn't the problem.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, and the water that's supposed to run outside is backing up into the house instead. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time, especially with how much your system runs here from April through October. A dirty filter can also cause the coil to ice over, and when that ice melts it can produce more water than the drain pan is built to handle. A contractor can clear the line or find the actual source if it isn't that.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat, since dead batteries or a setting that's off will stop the system before it ever starts. A tripped breaker is the next most common cause. If the thermostat and breaker both check out, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, in a part like the capacitor or the contactor, and that calls for a licensed contractor to diagnose.