AC Repair in New Bedford, MA
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Bristol County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of hard, steady use
Your air conditioner in New Bedford only has July and August to work with, and it runs hard through both. Afternoons averaging 81°F mean the compressor is cycling on and on through the hottest part of the day, day after day, for that whole stretch. That kind of steady demand is what wears a compressor down or lets a low refrigerant charge finally show itself as warm air from the vents.
Bristol County has also seen 282 damaging wind events and 20 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it. Wind can drive debris into the coil and bend the fins, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the fan. If your air conditioner is running rough right after a storm, that is often where to look.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 282 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 Bristol County home.
Estimates for a typical Bristol 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 reason is low refrigerant, usually from a leak, or a dirty air filter choking off airflow over the coil. When airflow drops too low, the coil can ice up and stop cooling the air at all. Check the filter first since that is the simple fix. If it is clean and you are still getting warm air, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and look for a leak.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your AC almost always means the condensate drain line is clogged. As the system runs, it pulls moisture out of the air and that water is supposed to drip into a pan and out through a drain line. Algae and dirt build up inside that line over time and block it, so the pan overflows instead. A frozen coil can cause the same thing when it thaws and dumps water all at once.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and has power, then check the breaker for the outdoor unit and the indoor air handler. If both look fine and it still will not start, the capacitor that gives the compressor its initial jolt of power may have failed. That is a common failure point and a contractor can test it in a few minutes.