AC Repair in Meridian, MS
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lauderdale County will get in touch.
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Five months of real heat, every year
Meridian asks a lot of an air conditioner from May through September. Afternoons average 90°F, and the system runs hard to keep up, cycling on and off for hours at a stretch through the day and into the evening.
That kind of steady demand wears on the capacitor and the compressor first. A weak capacitor can't give the compressor the jolt it needs to start, and you'll notice the outside unit humming but not kicking on. Lauderdale County also sees its share of hail and wind, with 126 damaging wind events and hailstones up to 2.75 inches recorded over the past ten years. Either can bend the fins on the outdoor coil or knock a unit out of alignment, and you'll notice weaker cooling or the system struggling to keep the house comfortable.
- 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
- 126 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $70 a year off cooling for a typical Lauderdale County home.
Estimates for a typical Lauderdale County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Mississippi 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.
Mississippi requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Mississippi's license comes from the State Board of Contractors, and it covers the contractor, not each job. The same license that qualifies someone to install a system is what qualifies them to repair your air conditioner.
For a repair job like this, the license is what stands behind the work. Since your air conditioner has refrigerant in it, the technician also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the federal credential required everywhere in the country before anyone can open the refrigerant side of a system. That certification is separate from the state license and covers a different part of the job.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can freeze the coil and leave you with warm air until it thaws. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that takes a licensed technician to find and fix since opening the refrigerant side requires EPA certification. A failing compressor will also do this, and with Meridian summer afternoons running near 90°F, a system that's low on refrigerant or short on airflow tends to show it fast.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the condensate drain line is clogged with algae or dirt and the water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the condensate pan has rusted through, or the coil has frozen over and is now melting and overflowing as it thaws. A frozen coil is often caused by a dirty filter or low refrigerant, so the leak is a symptom of one of those problems rather than the cause itself.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat, since dead batteries or a setting that's off will stop the system before it ever gets a signal. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker or blown fuse is a common cause and can happen after a power surge from one of the storms this area sees. If the breaker is fine too, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, such as a failed capacitor or contactor, and that calls for a licensed contractor to diagnose.