AC Repair in Stockton, CA
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers San Joaquin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of heat, every year, on the same system
Stockton asks a lot of an air conditioner. From May through September the system runs most days, and summer afternoons average 91°F, so the compressor spends long stretches working hard to keep up.
That kind of steady run time wears on the capacitor and the compressor itself, the parts that carry the load hour after hour. When one starts to go, you notice the air isn't as cold as it should be, or the unit runs and runs without the house catching up.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 2 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 21 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 San Joaquin County home.
Estimates for a typical San Joaquin 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 held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so it covers this repair because it covers the person doing it. That is what the Contractors State License Board records when it licenses an HVAC contractor in California.
For an air conditioner repair, the part of the job the state license doesn't reach is the refrigerant itself. Any technician who opens that side of your system, here or anywhere else, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal rule, separate from the California license, and it applies no matter which state the work is done in.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- A few common problems cause this, and they're worth checking in order. Start with the air filter. A clogged filter starves the system of airflow, and the coil can ice over as a result. If the filter is clean, look at the outdoor unit. Dirt or debris built up on it keeps the unit from releasing heat the way it needs to. If both of those check out, the system may be low on refrigerant, and that almost always means a leak somewhere in the line. That last one only gets fixed by a licensed contractor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time the drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water runs out through a condensate line. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and finds another way out, often through the ceiling or around the indoor unit. A frozen coil that's thawing out can also leave water behind, and that points to an airflow or refrigerant problem instead of the drain.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and set below the room temperature, and check its batteries if the screen looks dim or blank. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker panel. A tripped breaker shuts the whole system down, and it's worth resetting once. If it trips again right away, stop and call a contractor rather than resetting it again. That usually means something is drawing too much power.