AC Repair in El Dorado, AR
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Union County will get in touch.
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Five months of heat, every year, on your condenser
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, and on the afternoons that hit 92°F it runs close to nonstop. That kind of stretch wears on the condenser fan motor and the compressor, the two parts working hardest to move heat out of the house. When one of them starts to fail, you notice the air coming out warmer than it should, or the unit running longer to get the house to temperature.
Union County has also logged 37 hail events and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Hail up to 2 inches can dent or puncture the thin fins on the outdoor coil, and wind can knock the unit out of alignment or send debris into it. Either one shows up as an air conditioner that runs but does not cool like it used to.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 37 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 $50 a year off cooling for a typical Union County home.
Estimates for a typical Union 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 license is issued to the contractor, not to the job. It stays with them from one repair to the next rather than getting reissued each time. Arkansas keeps this simple in one way too. Counties and cities cannot layer their own HVAC license on top of the state's, so the same rule applies whether the crew is working in Little Rock or out in Union County.
For a repair like this, the license tells you the state has tested and recorded the contractor doing the work. If the repair means opening up the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That requirement applies in every state, not just Arkansas, and it covers how the refrigerant itself is handled. The state license is what stands behind everything else about the job.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can cause it to ice up and stop cooling. A clogged outdoor unit, low refrigerant from a leak, or a failing compressor can also be the cause. Check the filter first since that is something you can do yourself. If it is clean and the air is still warm, a licensed contractor will need to check refrigerant levels and the compressor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dirt build up inside that line over time and back the water up until it overflows the drain pan instead of running outside. A frozen coil that then thaws can cause the same thing, so if you see ice on the lines, turn the system off and let it thaw before calling someone. A contractor can clear the line or find whatever else is causing the backup.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat, since dead batteries or a setting bumped off cool will stop the system cold. Next check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole unit. If the thermostat has power and the breaker is fine, the problem is likely in the unit itself, such as a failed capacitor or a bad control board, and that calls for a licensed contractor.