AC Repair in Benton, AR
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Saline County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of heat, every year, on your condenser
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That is five straight months where the condenser outside runs long hours just to keep up.
Saline County also sees real storm weather. Ten years of records show 67 hail events and 70 damaging wind events. Hail dents the thin fins on the condenser coil and bends them shut, which cuts down the airflow it needs to cool the refrigerant. Wind throws branches and debris into the unit or knocks it out of level. If your air is running but not cooling like it used to, or the outside unit looks dented or dirty, that history is likely part of why.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 67 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 70 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $50 a year off cooling for a typical Saline County home.
Estimates for a typical Saline County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Arkansas 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.
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state license covers the contractor, not the specific job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a system also qualifies them to repair your air conditioner. Arkansas keeps this as a state matter. Counties and cities in Arkansas cannot layer on their own HVAC license requirement, so the same rule applies whether you live in a small town or a city.
Because this job means opening the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, the same federal requirement that applies in every state. Arkansas's license is what stands behind the repair itself. The federal certification is what stands behind the handling of the refrigerant.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that happens the coil can ice up and stop cooling the air passing through it. A low refrigerant charge, usually from a leak, causes the same thing. If the filter looks clean and the vents are still warm, a licensed contractor needs to check the refrigerant level and the coil itself.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your AC usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and back the water up until it overflows the drain pan instead of running outside. A dirty filter can also cause this by freezing the coil, which then drips as it thaws. Clearing the line usually fixes it, but if it keeps happening the pan or the drain itself may need attention.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check your thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting knocked off cool will stop the system before it starts. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker is a common reason for no response at all. Summer afternoons here often reach 90°F, and a system that won't start on a day like that needs a licensed contractor to look at the capacitor or the compressor before it gets worse.