AC Repair in Amherst Town, MA
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hampshire County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real work, then months of sitting still
Your air conditioner in Amherst Town only earns its keep in July and August, when afternoons average 80°F. That short, hard stretch is what it's built for, and then it sits idle most of the year. A system that starts and stops after a long rest is more likely to show a problem the first hot week than one that runs steadily.
Hampshire County has also seen its share of rough weather, with 218 damaging wind events and 34 hail storms over the past ten years, one dropping hail nearly two inches across. Wind can rock an outdoor unit or drive debris into the fins around it, and hail that size can dent a cabinet or bend the coil fins that let it shed heat. If your air conditioner is blowing warm or struggling to keep up, a knock it took sitting outside may be part of why.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 34 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 218 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Hampshire County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Hampshire County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Massachusetts 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.
- 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 once it's iced over the air coming out feels warm or weak. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing, but that's not something to check yourself since refrigerant is sealed in the system. If the filter looks clean and you still get warm air, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the coil.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time it's a clogged condensate drain line. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water is supposed to run out through a drain line to the outside. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and drips inside instead. A frozen coil that's thawing can also leave water behind, usually tied to low airflow or low refrigerant.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and set below the room temperature, and that its batteries aren't dead if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker for the outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. With 218 damaging wind events recorded in this county over the past ten years, a tripped breaker after a storm is a real possibility. If the breaker is fine and the AC still won't start, a contractor will need to check the capacitor and the compressor.