AC Repair in Greenfield, MA
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Franklin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then it sits
Greenfield only needs cooling in July and August, with afternoons averaging around 80°F. For the rest of the year your air conditioner sits idle, then gets asked to run hard the first hot day it turns back on.
A unit that has been shut down that long can struggle to start. Capacitors weaken from sitting unused, and a connection that was fine the last time you ran it can fail once the compressor draws a full load again. Franklin County has also logged 275 damaging wind events and 18 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.25 inches. Either can reach the outdoor unit directly, bending the fins or damaging the fan, so it is worth a look if yours has sat through a storm.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 18 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 275 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 Franklin County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Franklin 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 through the vents turns warm. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing, and a failing compressor can too. A contractor can check the filter, look for ice on the coil, and test refrigerant levels to find which one it is.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water is supposed to run out through the drain line to the outside. When the line clogs with algae or debris, the water backs up and drips inside instead. A dirty filter can also cause this by making the coil ice over, and then the water shows up when the ice melts.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is set below the room temperature, and if it runs on batteries, try fresh ones. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will keep the whole system from starting. If there has been a recent storm, it is worth checking the outdoor unit for damage too. If none of that gets it running, the problem is likely something a contractor needs to diagnose directly.