AC Repair in Modesto, CA
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Stanislaus County will get in touch.
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Five months of hard running in Modesto heat
Your AC works from May through September here, and on a 91°F afternoon it doesn't get much of a break. The compressor runs long stretches just to hold the house steady, and that kind of steady load is what wears a compressor down over the years.
Stanislaus County doesn't see much hail, but wind is another matter. Eighteen damaging wind events in the last ten years means outdoor units take a beating, branches and debris against the coil, dirt driven into the fins. A coil that can't shed heat properly makes the whole system work harder, and you'll notice it as warm air blowing when the thermostat says it should be cool.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 1 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 18 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $80 a year off cooling for a typical Stanislaus County home.
Estimates for a typical Stanislaus 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 state license comes from the Contractors State License Board, and it covers the contractor, not the job itself. That means the license was earned once, tied to that contractor's name, and stays in force as long as they keep it current. It does not get issued fresh for your repair or tied to your address.
On a repair like this, the license tells you the contractor doing the work has met the state's bar and is on record with the state. Since this job means opening the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and applies no matter what state you're in. That certification is about handling refrigerant safely, not about the state license, so a licensed contractor still needs it before touching that part of the system.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that happens the coil can ice up, and once it's frozen you get weak air or none at all until it thaws. It can also mean the refrigerant charge is low, which points to a leak somewhere in the system. A contractor can check the filter first, since that's the easy one, then look at the coil and the charge if the filter isn't the problem.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Your AC makes water as it cools the air, and that water is supposed to drain outside through a condensate line. If that line clogs with dirt or algae, the water backs up and drips inside instead. A frozen coil that's thawing out can also flood the drain pan faster than it can drain. Either way it's worth having someone look soon, since water sitting where it shouldn't be can damage the floor or the ceiling below it.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is below the room temperature, and that it has power if it runs on batteries. If the thermostat looks right, the next place to check is the breaker, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down with no warning. If power is reaching the unit and it still won't start, the capacitor or the contactor that switches it on may have failed, and that's a job for a licensed contractor. California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Contractors State License Board, so ask to see it before any work begins.