AC Maintenance in Point Pleasant, WV
Air conditioners here run from June through September, so May is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Mason County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of heat, and storms in between
Your air conditioner in Point Pleasant does its real work from June through September, when summer afternoons average 85°F. That is when a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge tends to show itself, usually on the hottest afternoon, when you need the system most.
The rest of the year, the outdoor unit still sits outside taking whatever the weather brings. Mason County has logged 76 damaging wind events and 19 hail events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 1.75 inches. That kind of storm can bend the fins on your outdoor coil or knock the unit off level, and you may not notice until you switch it back on. A maintenance visit checks the coil, the refrigerant charge, and the electrical parts before summer asks something of them.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 19 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 76 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in May, before homes here start needing cooling in June.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
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- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Commissioner of Labor tests and licenses HVAC contractors in West Virginia, and that license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. It means the state has checked this contractor's qualifications and keeps a record of them, separate from whatever work gets done at your house.
For a maintenance visit on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. If the technician needs to open the refrigerant side of the unit, checking pressures or handling coolant, federal law requires EPA Section 608 certification to do that, and this applies in every state, not just here. Between the two, West Virginia's contractors have both the state's licensing behind them and the federal certification required for refrigerant work.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks refrigerant pressure, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. They also check the evaporator coil, change or clean the filter, and confirm the thermostat is calling for cooling correctly. Anything touching the refrigerant side has to be done by a technician with EPA Section 608 certification, which every contractor working on your system should have.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the season it works hardest. Here that means getting it looked at before June, since your system runs from June through September and summer afternoons average 85°F. A dirty coil or a weak capacitor found ahead of that first hot stretch is a lot easier to deal with than one that quits in the middle of it.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most breakdowns start as something small a contractor can catch early. A weak capacitor or a coil losing airflow shows up during a checkup long before it leaves you without cooling on an 85°F afternoon. It also matters here because of what's outside the unit. This area has seen 76 damaging wind events and 19 hail events over the past ten years, including hail up to 1.75 inches, and a maintenance visit is when a contractor would spot a bent fin or a dented cabinet before it turns into a bigger problem.