AC Repair in Tyler, TX
Air conditioners here run from May through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Smith County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of Texas heat wears an AC down early
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 93°F. That is six straight months where the compressor barely gets a break, cycling on and off all day to keep up. That kind of run time wears on the compressor and the capacitor that helps start it, and a weak capacitor is a common reason a unit hums but won't start on a hot afternoon.
Smith County has also logged 107 hail events and 148 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, and hail bends the thin fins on the condenser coil, cutting down the airflow it needs to cool the refrigerant. When that happens, the system runs longer to do the same job, or stops cooling well at all.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 93°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 107 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 148 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $60 a year off cooling for a typical Smith County home.
Estimates for a typical Smith 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 Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation tests and keeps records on the contractor, not on each visit to a home. So the license tells you the person doing the work has passed the state's exam and is on file with the state, but the state does not sign off on the repair happening in Smith County today.
Because this is a repair on an air conditioner, whoever touches the refrigerant side of the system also needs an EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and required in every state on top of whatever license Texas asks for. The state license accounts for who is allowed to do the job. The federal certification accounts for who is allowed to work on the refrigerant itself.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. Once airflow drops low enough, the coil can ice over, and you get warm air or no air at all until it thaws. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same warm-air symptom, but that is a repair for a licensed contractor, not something to top off yourself. If the outdoor unit is not running at all while the indoor fan blows, the problem is likely electrical rather than the airflow itself.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this is a clogged condensate drain line. Algae and dust build up inside that line over a cooling season, and once it is blocked, the water backs up and drips or pools near your indoor unit instead of draining outside. A frozen coil that is now thawing will also leak water, so if you noticed weak airflow before the leak started, that is likely the real cause. Either way, shut the system off until a contractor clears the line or checks the coil, since water damage adds up fast.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power and is actually set to cool below the room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. Tyler sees a lot of summer storms, and a power blip or a nearby lightning strike can trip a breaker or damage the outdoor unit's control board without any other visible sign. If the breaker resets and the system still won't run, that points to a failed component that needs a contractor to diagnose.