AC Maintenance in West Memphis, 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 Crittenden 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, and on the afternoons that matter most it's fighting to keep up with highs around 90°F. That is the stretch where a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge stops being a minor issue and turns into a system that runs all day and still can't hold the temperature.
Crittenden County has also seen its share of rough weather, with 8 hail events and 27 damaging wind storms over the past ten years. A condenser unit sits outside through all of that, and bent fins or a coil caked with debris make it work harder before summer even starts. A tune-up before the season checks the coil, the refrigerant charge, and the electrical parts that wear out from months of daily use, so the unit is ready for the heat instead of struggling to catch up to it.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 27 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 license belongs to the contractor, not to this one visit. Arkansas tests and records the business itself, so the same license covers every job that contractor takes on, not just this one. Cities and counties in Arkansas cannot layer their own license requirement on top of it, so the state's record is the one that applies no matter where in Crittenden County the work happens.
Maintenance on an air conditioner often means opening the refrigerant side to check the charge, and any technician who does that needs EPA Section 608 certification. That rule comes from the federal government, not the state, and it applies here the same as anywhere else in the country. Between the two, the state license tells you the contractor is on record with Arkansas, and the EPA card tells you the person handling the refrigerant is certified to do it.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, tests the capacitor, and checks the electrical connections for wear. They also check the filter and the airflow through the ducts, and look at the drain line to make sure condensation is clearing properly. Most of this is about catching a weak part before it fails, since a dirty coil or a failing capacitor is what leads to a system going down on a 90°F afternoon.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year is standard, done before the season it works hardest. Here that means getting it looked at before cooling season starts, since the system runs May through September and a problem found early is a lot easier to deal with than one found mid-summer. A yearly check also gives a contractor a chance to catch corrosion or a loose connection before it turns into a bigger repair.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most breakdowns start as a small problem that maintenance catches early. A refrigerant leak, a weak capacitor, or a dirty coil all make the system work harder, and any of them can leave you without cooling in the middle of summer here, when afternoons average 90°F. The county has also logged hail and damaging wind over the past ten years, and a coil or outdoor unit can take damage that is not obvious until the system is checked.