AC Maintenance in Amory, MS
Air conditioners here run from May through September, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Monroe County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of hard running takes a toll
Your air conditioner works May through September in Amory, and on a 90 degree afternoon it runs long stretches to keep up. That kind of run time wears on the capacitor that starts the compressor and the contactor that feeds it power. A tune-up catches a capacitor that is starting to weaken before it fails on the hottest day of the year.
Monroe County also gets its share of rough weather. Storms brought 21 hail events and 70 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 3 inches. Hail that size can bend the fins on your outdoor unit and slow the airflow it depends on. A service visit is a chance to check the coil for that kind of damage before it keeps your system from cooling right.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 70 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in April, before homes here start needing cooling in May.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Mississippi requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Mississippi licenses HVAC contractors through the State Board of Contractors. That license belongs to the contractor, not to the job, so the same license that covers a system installation also covers a maintenance visit to your air conditioner.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner to check the charge, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That rule applies in every state, not just Mississippi.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. They also check the blower and, if your system has one, the evaporator coil, then check airflow and the thermostat's operation. Cleaning the coils matters most here, since hail and windblown debris can coat the outdoor unit over the summer. Anything involving the refrigerant lines has to be done by a technician who holds EPA 608 certification, which every licensed contractor's staff should have.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the season it works hardest. Here that means getting it checked before May, since the system runs from May through September with afternoons averaging 90°F. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it causes a breakdown in the middle of summer.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially where summers run long and hot. Five months of cooling with afternoons near 90°F puts steady strain on the compressor and coil, and a yearly check catches wear before it turns into a breakdown. It also gives a contractor a chance to look over the outdoor unit for hail damage or bent fins, which matters here given how many wind and hail events the area has seen over the past decade.