AC Repair in Princess Anne, MD
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Somerset County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard summer heat
Your air conditioner in Princess Anne works hard from June through September, with afternoons averaging 86°F. That kind of steady heat keeps the compressor running long hours day after day, and it's the compressor that struggles first when a system starts to fail. You may notice the air coming from the vents isn't as cold as it used to be, or the unit runs longer to reach the same temperature.
Somerset County has also seen 29 damaging wind events and a couple of hail events over the past ten years, one dropping hail up to 1.5 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor unit or knock debris into it, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the fan. If your system started acting up after a storm, that's often where the trouble started.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 2 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 29 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 Somerset County home.
Estimates for a typical Somerset 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 licenses HVAC contractors through the Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors, and the license belongs to the contractor, not the job. The same license that covers installing a system is what covers repairing your air conditioner.
On a repair like this, the refrigerant side of the job needs its own credential on top of the license. Anyone who opens the refrigerant lines on your air conditioner has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that applies in every state. The Maryland license covers the contractor doing the work, and the EPA certification covers the technician handling the refrigerant.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time this means the system is low on refrigerant or the airflow across the indoor coil is blocked. A dirty filter or a coil caked with dust will stop cold air from moving through the house even when the compressor runs fine. A refrigerant leak needs a licensed technician, since anyone who opens that side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. Check the filter first. If it is clean and you still get warm air, the problem is inside the system.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- This usually means the condensate drain line is clogged or the drain pan has rusted through. Warm air moving across the indoor coil produces water all summer long, and that water has to leave through the drain line. Algae and dust build up inside that line over a season of running, June through September here, and once it clogs the water backs up and drips or pools near the unit. A frozen coil can also cause this, dripping water as it thaws, which points to a separate airflow or refrigerant problem.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. A dead thermostat battery, a tripped breaker, or a float switch stopped by a full condensate pan will all keep the system from starting even though nothing is actually broken. If power is reaching the unit and it still will not start, the capacitor or the contactor may have failed, and that is a repair for a licensed contractor. Maryland requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license for this kind of work, and that license covers the contractor, not the individual job.