AC Repair in Ravenswood, WV
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Jackson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of hard heat, ten years of storms
Ravenswood only leans on its air conditioners from June through September, but summer afternoons average 84°F, so those four months put real load on the system. The compressor and the capacitor take the brunt of that steady running, and when one starts to go, the unit either won't start or runs without actually cooling the house.
The storm record matters too. Jackson County has logged 21 hail events and 45 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. Hail that size can bend the fins on the outdoor coil, and wind strong enough to count as damaging can knock the unit out of alignment. A system that ran fine last summer can start short-cycling or blowing warm air once it's asked to work again.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 45 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $30 a year off cooling for a typical Jackson County home.
Estimates for a typical Jackson 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 comes from the Commissioner of Labor and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. It means the state has tested the contractor and keeps a record of them, so the license you're shown for this repair is the same one that covers everything else they touch.
An air conditioner repair usually means someone is working on the refrigerant side, and federal law requires that anyone who opens that side of the system, in any state, hold EPA Section 608 certification. In West Virginia, that certification sits alongside the state license, not in place of it. Between the two, the person in your house is accounted for both by the state and by the federal rule that governs the refrigerant itself.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak somewhere in the coil or lines. A dirty outdoor unit can cause the same problem, since it needs clean airflow across the coil to move heat outside. Only a licensed technician with EPA Section 608 certification can legally check refrigerant, since that means opening the sealed system.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The condensate drain line is probably clogged, so water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also happen when the evaporator coil ices up and then melts faster than the drain can handle. A dirty filter is a common cause of that icing, since it restricts the airflow the coil needs to stay above freezing.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker, since a dead battery or a tripped breaker are common causes and easy to check. If those are fine, the issue is likely in the electrical components inside the outdoor unit or the indoor air handler. West Virginia requires the contractor doing this repair to hold a state license, so make sure whoever diagnoses it is licensed.