AC Repair in Annapolis, MD
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Anne Arundel County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of hard running in Annapolis heat
Your air conditioner works June through September here. Summer afternoons average 86°F, and the system runs long hours day after day to hold the house against that heat. The compressor and the capacitor that starts it take the brunt of that long run.
Anne Arundel County has also logged 248 damaging wind events and 22 hail storms over the past ten years, one dropping hail 1.75 inches across. The outdoor unit sits through all of it. Wind-blown debris bends the fins on the condenser coil. Hail can dent the cabinet or the coil underneath. Either way you notice the same thing. The house is not cooling like it should, or the unit runs and runs without catching up.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 22 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 248 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $60 a year off cooling for a typical Anne Arundel County home.
Estimates for a typical Anne Arundel County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Maryland 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.
Maryland requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Maryland's license comes from the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors. The state tested the contractor and keeps a record of them. That license covers the contractor as a business, not the specific repair on your air conditioner.
Your air conditioner repair means someone is likely opening the refrigerant side of the system. Federal law requires EPA Section 608 certification for that, in every state, on top of the Maryland license. The state license accounts for the contractor. The EPA certification accounts for the person actually handling the refrigerant.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When air can't move past it, the coil can ice up and what comes through the vents feels warm or weak. A low refrigerant charge from a leak will do the same thing, but that's not something to check yourself since the refrigerant side is sealed and only a technician certified under EPA Section 608 can legally open it. Check the filter first. If it's clean and the air still isn't cold, the system needs a licensed contractor to look at the charge and the coil.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit almost always means the condensate drain line is clogged. As your AC cools the air, it pulls moisture out and that water is supposed to run out through the 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 or pools near the unit instead. A cracked drain pan or an iced-over coil that's now melting can cause the same thing. Either way, it's worth having someone look at it soon, since water sitting near the unit or dripping into your ceiling can cause damage beyond the AC itself.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat. Check that it's set to cool, the temperature is below the room temperature, and the batteries aren't dead if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel. A tripped breaker will shut the whole system down and won't always look obviously flipped. If the breaker is fine and the thermostat is calling for cooling but nothing happens, the problem is likely in the unit itself, in the capacitor, the contactor, or the fan motor, and that needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.