AC Maintenance in McComb, 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 Pike County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Six months of heat in a row wears on your AC
From May through October your air conditioner runs almost every day, working against afternoons that average 91°F. That is six straight months with no real break for the compressor and the outdoor fan motor. Dirt builds on the condenser coil over a summer like that, and a coil caked with dirt makes the whole system work harder to move the same heat out of the house.
Pike County has also seen 34 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Wind that strong can knock debris into the outdoor unit or rock it on its pad, so a tune-up is also a chance to check that the unit is still sitting level and the fan isn't scraping against anything bent.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 3 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 34 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 state tested this contractor before handing out that license, and the Board of Contractors keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a new installation covers a maintenance visit like this one.
For a maintenance call on your air conditioner, the license is what stands behind the person in your driveway. If the work involves opening up the refrigerant lines, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and applies in every state regardless of what Mississippi requires on its own.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks refrigerant pressure, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain can back up and cause water damage. They also check the thermostat's calling for cool and look at the electrical connections, since a loose connection is a common cause of a system that trips off on its own. Anything involving refrigerant has to be done by a technician with EPA Section 608 certification, since that is federal law.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally before the season it works hardest. Homes here run their air conditioner from May through October, so having it checked in spring catches problems before six straight months of 91°F afternoons put real strain on the system. A dirty coil or a low refrigerant charge makes the system run longer to cool the same house, and a yearly check catches that before it turns into a breakdown in the middle of summer.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of the failures that leave a house without cooling in the middle of summer start small and get caught in a routine check. A dirty coil, a weak capacitor, or a low refrigerant charge all show up during maintenance long before they cause the system to quit outright. With six months of cooling season here and summer afternoons averaging 91°F, a system that is not working at full capacity has a long stretch to make that shortfall felt.