AC Maintenance in Paragould, AR
Air conditioners here run from May through September, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Greene County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Arkansas heat, every year
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 89°F. That is five straight months of the compressor cycling on and off through the hottest part of the day, day after day.
Greene County has also seen its share of storms, 35 hail events and 42 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 2.75 inches. A tune-up gives a contractor the chance to check the outdoor unit for bent fins or a damaged fan before that strain, plus the summer heat, turns a small problem into a system that quits on you.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 89°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 35 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 42 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in April, before homes here start needing cooling in May.
- 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.
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state tests HVAC contractors before they're licensed, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a full installation covers a maintenance visit like this one. Because Arkansas holds this licensing power at the state level, no county or city in Greene County can add its own license requirement on top of it. The license itself is what stands behind the work here.
For a maintenance visit on your air conditioner, that state license is what to look for. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system, cleaning coils, checking charge, that work also requires EPA Section 608 certification, which every technician in the country must hold to handle refrigerant, regardless of what state they're in.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil outside, and checks the coil inside for dirt buildup. They test the capacitor and contactor, check amp draw on the compressor and fan motor, and check that the drain line isn't clogged. They'll also swap or check your filter and look over the electrical connections, since a loose connection is what usually causes a breakdown on the hottest day of the year.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the cooling season starts. Homes here run the AC from May through September, so getting it checked before that stretch begins gives a contractor time to order a part if something's wearing out before you're depending on the system every day.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because a system that isn't checked tends to fail when it's working hardest. Summer afternoons here average 89°F, and that's five months of the compressor and fan motor running long hours with no break. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it turns into a system that won't turn on at all.