AC Repair in Oak Hill, WV
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Fayette County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of heat, plus what the storms leave behind
Your air conditioner in Oak Hill works June through August, with afternoons averaging 80°F. It sits idle the rest of the year, then has to start up and run through the heat with no chance to ease into it.
Fayette County has seen 73 damaging wind events and 20 hail events over the past ten years, with hailstones up to 3 inches. Wind can bend the fins on your outdoor coil or knock the unit off level. Hail that size can dent the cabinet and crush the fins outright, and either one blocks the airflow your system needs to cool the house.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 73 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 Fayette County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Fayette 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 Commissioner of Labor issues that license after testing the contractor, and the license covers the contractor, not any single job. The state has checked this contractor's qualifications before they show up in Fayette County, and there's a record of who they are if something goes wrong.
For an air conditioner repair, refrigerant is the part that matters most. Any technician who opens the sealed side of the system to touch the refrigerant needs EPA Section 608 certification. That rule applies everywhere in the country, not just here. On this job you have the state license on the contractor and the federal certification on whoever handles the refrigerant.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. That can cause the coil to ice over, so the system blows warm or weak air instead of cold. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that is not a homeowner fix since only a licensed technician with EPA 608 certification can open the refrigerant side of the system. If the filter looks clean and the vents are open, the problem is likely inside the system and worth having a contractor look at.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Your AC makes water as it cools the air, and that water is supposed to drain out through a condensate line. When that line clogs with algae or dirt, the water backs up and drips out somewhere in the house instead. A frozen coil that then thaws can cause the same kind of leak, so either way it points to something inside the system that needs a look.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check the batteries and make sure it is set to cool and below the room temperature. If that's fine, check the breaker for the outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker will stop the whole system cold. Summers here only run June through August, so a unit that sat unused for months can also trip a safety switch or need a simple reset. If none of that gets it running, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong.