AC Maintenance in Columbus, 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 Lowndes County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of hard running in Columbus heat
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, and on a 91°F afternoon it runs long stretches just to hold the house steady. That kind of steady load wears on the parts that keep the system cold, the ones a tune-up is built to catch early.
Columbus has also seen its share of hail and wind over the past ten years, with hailstones as large as 4.6 inches across. A storm like that can dent the outdoor unit's fins or knock its cabinet out of alignment without you noticing right away. A service visit checks the coil and the cabinet along with the parts that wear from ordinary summer running, so a problem gets found before the next hot stretch asks the unit to run all day.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 29 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 110 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.
The Mississippi State Board of Contractors licenses HVAC contractors statewide. The board tested the contractor before issuing that license, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it stays in effect from one service call to the next.
For maintenance on an air conditioner, that state license is what stands behind the work in Lowndes County. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of your system to check the charge or service the coil, federal law also requires EPA Section 608 certification, the same requirement that applies in every state. Mississippi's license covers who is allowed to run the business. The EPA certification covers who is allowed to handle the refrigerant itself.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant pressure, cleans the outdoor coil, tests the capacitor, and checks the electrical connections. They also change or clean the filter and check airflow across the indoor coil. Opening the refrigerant side of the system requires EPA Section 608 certification, so make sure whoever does the work is certified for that part of the job. Columbus summer afternoons average 91°F, so a clean outdoor coil and correct refrigerant charge matter more here than in a milder climate.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the season starts. Columbus homes run the AC from May through September, five months a year, so getting a checkup done before May means the system is ready before the heat sets in. A yearly visit catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it causes a breakdown during those months.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially here. Columbus has seen 110 damaging wind events and 29 hail events over the past ten years, and storms can knock an outdoor unit around or bend its fins without an obvious sign of damage. A yearly checkup catches that kind of hidden damage along with normal wear, before it turns into a system that quits on a 91°F afternoon. A contractor can look at the specific unit and tell you what shape it's in.