AC Repair in Concord, CA
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Contra Costa County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running in Concord summers
Your air conditioner in Concord works hard for four months, June through September, with afternoons averaging 85°F. That is a short season, but a demanding one. The system runs long hours day after day to hold the house at temperature, and the compressor and the fan motor take that load the whole time.
Wind is the bigger risk here. Contra Costa County has logged 166 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a condenser sitting outside can take a hit from blown debris or get knocked out of alignment. If your AC is running rough or not cooling like it did last summer, that kind of strain is often why.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 12 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 166 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $40 a year off cooling for a typical Contra Costa County home.
Estimates for a typical Contra Costa County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, California 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.
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to the job, so the same license that let them take on a kitchen remodel or a re-roof also lets them take on your air conditioner. It means the state has tested them and keeps a record of who they are, not that every repair gets a separate sign-off.
For the actual repair, what matters most is who is allowed to touch the refrigerant. Anyone opening that side of your air conditioner has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal requirement that applies no matter what state you're in. That certification is what stands behind the refrigerant work itself, separate from the state license that stands behind the contractor.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter cutting off airflow, so check that first. A refrigerant leak will also cause this, and it will not fix itself since your AC does not use up refrigerant the way a car uses gas. If the outdoor unit is not running at all while the indoor fan blows warm air, the compressor itself may have failed. A contractor can check refrigerant levels and test the compressor to find out which it is.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the evaporator coil has frozen and is now thawing and dripping. A coil freezes when airflow is restricted, often from a dirty filter, or when refrigerant is low. Shut the system off until a contractor can look at it, since running it with a frozen coil can lead to more damage.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to cool and the temperature is below the room temperature, and replace the batteries if it has a blank screen. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. With 166 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, a tripped breaker or a power interruption is a real possibility. If the breaker holds and the thermostat is set right but nothing happens, a contractor will need to check the electrical connections and the capacitor.