AC Repair in Cambridge, MD
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Dorchester County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of steady heat, every year
Cambridge only asks for cooling from June through September, but those four months average 86°F in the afternoon. That is four straight months of the compressor running close to its limit on most days it turns on, and that kind of steady load is what wears out a capacitor or a contactor.
The weather here can also hit the system directly. Dorchester County has logged 58 damaging wind events and 8 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. Wind can rock an outdoor unit or throw debris into the coil and fins, and hail that size can dent a cabinet or bend fins enough to choke airflow. If your air conditioner started acting up after a storm, that is often where the problem begins.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 58 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $50 a year off cooling for a typical Dorchester County home.
Estimates for a typical Dorchester 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.
That license means Maryland tested the contractor and keeps a record of them at the state board. It sits with the business, not with any one job, so the same license that covers a new installation down the street covers the repair on your air conditioner.
For this repair, that license is what stands behind the work, but it is not the only credential in play. If the technician needs to open the refrigerant side of your air conditioner to fix it, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule that applies in every state. Maryland's license tells you the contractor is on record with the board. The 608 card tells you the person handling the refrigerant is certified to do it.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. A clogged filter can cause the coil to ice over, and once that happens the air coming out of your vents turns warm even though the system is running. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that's not something you can fix by topping it off. A contractor needs to find the leak, repair it, and recharge the system, and by federal law only someone with EPA Section 608 certification can work on that side of the unit.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water pooling near your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools your home, and that water is supposed to run out through the drain line. When the line clogs with algae or debris, the water backs up and drips into your house instead. A frozen coil that's now thawing can cause the same thing, so the fix depends on which one it is.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat and your breaker panel before assuming the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and the temperature is below the room's, and check whether the breaker for the AC has tripped. If those are fine, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, in the capacitor, the contactor, or the control board, and that needs a licensed contractor to diagnose. Cambridge has seen 58 damaging wind events over the past ten years, so if the AC stopped working right after a storm, a power surge is worth ruling out too.