AC Repair in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of work, all at once
Your air conditioner in Barnstable Town only earns its keep in July and August, and it has to work through afternoons averaging 77°F. That is not a long season, but it is a demanding one, and a system that sits idle most of the year can be slow to show a problem until the heat is already on it.
Barnstable County has logged 249 damaging wind events over the past ten years, along with some hail, including a hailstone as large as 1.25 inches. Wind like that can rattle the outdoor unit, bend the fan cage, or knock debris into the coil. If your air conditioner is blowing warm air or the outdoor fan sounds off balance, it may have taken a hit during one of those storms rather than simply worn out.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 4 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 249 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $30 a year off cooling for a typical Barnstable County home.
Estimates for a typical Barnstable 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, so check that first since it's the easiest to fix. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that will need a contractor since it means opening the system. If the outdoor unit isn't running at all while the indoor fan blows, the compressor or a capacitor has likely failed.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged, and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the coil has frozen over and is now melting and dripping as the system runs. A dirty air filter is often behind a frozen coil, since it blocks the airflow the coil needs to stay above freezing.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and below the room temperature, and that its batteries aren't dead. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. Barnstable Town sees frequent damaging wind, and a power blip during one of those storms can trip a breaker without you noticing.