AC Repair in Fort Worth, TX
Air conditioners here run from May through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Tarrant County will get in touch.
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Six months of Texas heat, plus hail and wind
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 94°F. That is six straight months where the compressor runs hard most of the day just to keep up. Long runs like that wear on the compressor and put strain on the capacitor that helps start it. When the capacitor weakens, the unit can hum and not start, or it short cycles and never quite cools the house down.
Tarrant County has also seen 416 hail events and 253 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 5 inches. Hail dents the fins on the outdoor coil and can bend the fan blade, and wind drives debris into the cabinet. Any of that can show up as a system that runs but blows warm air, or one that trips off on its own.
- 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
A new air conditioner would cut about $70 a year off cooling for a typical Tarrant County home.
Estimates for a typical Tarrant 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.
Texas licenses HVAC contractors through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. That license covers the contractor as a business, not each individual job pulled under it.
For a repair on your air conditioner, the part of the job that carries the most risk is the refrigerant line. Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your system, in Texas or anywhere else, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification comes from the federal government, not TDLR, and it applies on top of the state license, not in place of it.
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, or the refrigerant level running low from a leak in the coil or line set. A dirty condenser coil outside can cause the same thing, since it stops the system from shedding heat properly. If the air coming out is warm rather than just weak, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge, since running a system low on refrigerant for long can damage the compressor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your AC usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, so the water that normally drips outside is backing up instead. It can also mean the evaporator coil has frozen over from low airflow or low refrigerant, and the ice is now melting faster than the drain pan can handle it. Either way, check the air filter first, since a clogged one is often what starts the problem.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker for the outdoor unit, since both are common culprits and easy to check yourself. If those are fine, the capacitor that starts the compressor may have failed, which is a common wear part in a system that runs 6 months a year here. Fort Worth has seen 416 hail events over the last ten years, so if a storm has come through recently, it is worth having a contractor check the outdoor unit for damage.