AC Maintenance in Brookhaven, MS
Air conditioners here run from May through October, so April is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Lincoln County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of Brookhaven heat is hard on a system
Your air conditioner runs from May through October here, six months of the year. On afternoons that average 91°F, it is not just cycling on and off. It is running long stretches to hold the temperature inside, and that puts long hours on the compressor and the fan motor.
Lincoln County has also seen 79 damaging wind events and 25 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, and its coil and fins take whatever the wind carries into them. A maintenance visit checks the coil for buildup and damage, checks the refrigerant charge, and looks at the electrical connections and capacitor that six months of steady running wears down. Finding a weak part in spring means it gets fixed before it fails during those long summer runs.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 25 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 79 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.
That license comes from the State Board of Contractors, and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. It is not tied to this particular visit, but to the business doing the work.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the work here. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system to check the charge or service the coil, that also requires EPA Section 608 certification, the same federal rule that applies everywhere in the country. In Mississippi, though, it is the state license that answers for the job.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil, the blower, and the condensate drain to make sure it's not clogged. They also check the thermostat and look over the electrical connections for wear. Only a technician with EPA Section 608 certification can open the refrigerant side of the system, so that part of the check has to be done by someone certified for it.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the season it works hardest. Homes here run their AC from May through October, so having it checked in spring catches problems before the heat sets in. A dirty coil or a low refrigerant charge makes the system work harder without cooling any better, and a yearly check catches that early.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of what causes a summer breakdown builds up slowly and shows up in a maintenance check first. A dirty coil, a weak capacitor, or a clogged drain line all get worse over time, and any of them can stop the system on a 91°F afternoon. Catching those early means the system is less likely to fail when it's actually earning its keep, during the six months a year homes here depend on it.