AC Repair in Waco, TX
Air conditioners here run from May through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers McLennan County will get in touch.
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Six months of Waco heat wears an AC down
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 94°F. That is six straight months of the compressor cycling on and off most of the day just to hold a house steady. Parts that start and stop that many times a day wear faster than they would somewhere cooler, and the capacitor and the contactor are usually the first to go. A weak capacitor can't give the compressor the jolt it needs to start, and you will hear the unit hum or click and then quit.
McLennan County also sees its share of hail and wind, 102 hail events and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 4.5 inches. Hail that size can bend the thin aluminum fins on the outdoor coil, and a coil packed with bent fins can't move heat off the refrigerant the way it should. That shows up as a system that runs longer and cools less.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 94°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 102 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 56 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 McLennan County home.
Estimates for a typical McLennan 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 issued to the contractor, not to the job, so it applies to whoever is running the business, and it stays with them across every repair they do in the state, this one included.
Since your air conditioner's repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also needs to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is required everywhere in the country regardless of state licensing. That certification covers the handling of refrigerant itself, while the state license covers the contractor doing the work.
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. When that happens the coil can ice over, and once it's iced you'll get warm air or none at all until it thaws. It could also be low refrigerant from a leak, or a compressor that's failing. With summer afternoons here hitting 94°F, a system already struggling has almost no room to keep up, so it's worth having a contractor check it before the next hot stretch.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the drain line is clogged and the condensate has nowhere to go but out. Algae and dust build up in that line over a cooling season that runs May through October here, six months of steady use. It can also mean the coil has iced up and is now melting onto the floor, which points back to airflow or refrigerant trouble. Either way, water where it shouldn't be means something upstream needs a look.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power, the batteries are good, and it's set to cool below room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, the problem is likely a tripped breaker, a blown fuse at the outdoor unit, or a bad capacitor that can't get the compressor started. A contractor can test the electrical side quickly and tell you which part failed.