AC Repair in Gaithersburg, MD
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Montgomery County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running, every year
Your air conditioner in Gaithersburg gets four months to do its job, June through September, and it runs hard through all of them. Afternoons averaging 85°F mean the compressor is cycling on and on through the hottest part of nearly every summer day. That kind of steady demand is what wears down a compressor and drains a system low on refrigerant faster than a mild summer would.
Montgomery County also sees its share of rough weather. Ten years of storm records show 58 hail events and 443 damaging wind events in the area. Hail can dent or puncture the thin fins on an outdoor unit's coil, and wind can carry enough debris to bend them or damage the cabinet. When that happens, the outdoor unit struggles to shed heat, and you notice the house not cooling like it should even though the system is running.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 58 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 443 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 Montgomery County home.
Estimates for a typical Montgomery 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.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to the job, so it's tied to whoever owns the business, not the crew member who shows up or the specific repair on your air conditioner. Maryland's HVACR Board tests and records the contractor before that license is granted, so a Maryland license means the state has checked this contractor's qualifications and keeps a record of them.
For a repair like this, the license tells you the contractor was vetted by the state. Whoever actually opens up the refrigerant side of your air conditioner also needs to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement in every state and separate from Maryland's license. That certification covers the handling of refrigerant itself, which is the part of an air conditioner repair where a mistake does the most damage.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant charge is low. A dirty filter makes the evaporator coil so cold it ices over, and once that happens the air coming out feels warm instead of cold. Low refrigerant means a leak somewhere in the line, and that's not something to top off yourself, since anyone who opens the refrigerant side has to hold EPA certification to handle it. A stuck contactor or a failing capacitor can also keep the outdoor unit from running while the indoor fan blows room-temperature air. A licensed contractor can check the charge and the electrical parts and tell you which one it is.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your AC usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. As the system runs it pulls moisture out of the air, and that water is supposed to drain outside through a small line. Algae and dirt build up inside that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and drips near the indoor unit instead. A frozen evaporator coil will do the same thing once it thaws, sending more water than the drain pan can hold. If the leak keeps happening after the line is cleared, the coil itself may be freezing up from low airflow or low refrigerant.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is below room temperature, and if it runs on batteries, try fresh ones. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down with no warning at all. Outside, a tree branch or storm debris resting against the outdoor unit can also stop it from starting. This area has seen its share of damaging wind over the years, so after a storm it's worth a look before assuming the worst. If none of that explains it, the capacitor or contactor inside the outdoor unit may have failed, and that's a job for a licensed contractor.