AC Repair in Moundsville, WV
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Marshall County will get in touch.
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Three months of hard running, then storms
Your air conditioner in Moundsville only gets three months to do its job, June through August, and it has to work through afternoons that average 82°F. That kind of steady load wears on the run capacitor and the contactor, the parts that carry the electrical load every time the compressor cycles on. When one of those weakens, the unit hums but the compressor won't start, or it starts and trips off.
Marshall County has logged 36 damaging wind events and 8 hail events over the past ten years, one hailstone as large as 1.75 inches. Wind drives debris into the outdoor unit, and hail dents the thin aluminum fins on the condenser coil. Bent fins block airflow, and a unit that can't pull air through its coil runs long and cools poorly, if it cools at all.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 36 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Marshall County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Marshall County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, West Virginia 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.
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so it covers the business behind whoever shows up at your door, not just the one repair on your air conditioner. West Virginia's Commissioner of Labor is the one who tested and recorded that contractor before they were allowed to work under that license.
For an air conditioner repair, that state license is what stands behind the work itself, but anyone opening the refrigerant side of your system also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and applies in every state. That certification is not a state credential and it does not replace the license. It exists because refrigerant work has its own rules for handling, and it is checked separately from what West Virginia requires of the contractor.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is low refrigerant from a leak somewhere in the coil or line set. A dirty air filter or a coil caked with dust can also block airflow enough that the air coming out feels barely cool. Sometimes the outdoor unit's compressor has failed, and the fan still runs but nothing is actually cooling. A contractor who holds EPA 608 certification will need to check refrigerant levels and pressures to know which one you're dealing with.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the drain line that carries condensation away from your indoor coil is clogged, so water backs up and finds another way out. Algae and dust build up in that line over time, especially after a few years of runtime. A dirty air filter can also cause the coil to ice up, and when it thaws it puts out more water than the drain pan can handle. Either problem calls for clearing the line or the coil, not just mopping up the water.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat's batteries and its setting, since a dead battery or a mode set to heat instead of cool stops the system before it ever starts. Check the breaker panel too, since a tripped breaker will keep the outdoor unit from getting power. If those are fine, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, a bad capacitor or a failed control board are common culprits, and that's a job for a licensed contractor to diagnose.