AC Maintenance in Hackensack, NJ
Air conditioners here run from June through August, so May is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Bergen County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of hard running in Hackensack summers
Your air conditioner in Hackensack really only has one season to get through, June to August, but it works hard in it. Summer afternoons here average 84°F, and the system runs long hours to keep up. That kind of steady run time wears on the parts that keep it cooling, the capacitor that starts the compressor and the coil that sheds heat into the outside air.
Bergen County also sees its share of rough weather. Over the past ten years the area has had 42 hail events and 155 damaging wind events. An outdoor unit sits outside through all of it, and a tune-up is when a contractor checks the coil fins and the cabinet for damage you would not otherwise see until the system struggled to cool.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 42 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 155 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in May, before homes here start needing cooling in June.
- 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.
New Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
New Jersey licenses HVAC contractors through the State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors. The license covers the contractor, not each individual job. Cities and towns in New Jersey cannot require their own HVAC license on top of the state's.
For a maintenance visit on your air conditioner, that state license is what stands behind the contractor doing the work. If the technician opens the refrigerant side to check the charge or the coil, they also need EPA Section 608 certification, the same federal rule that applies everywhere in the country. The state license accounts for the contractor. The federal certification accounts for anyone handling refrigerant.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and electrical connections. They also change or clean the filter, check the blower for dust buildup, and make sure the condensate drain isn't clogged. Anything involving the refrigerant lines has to be handled by a technician with EPA 608 certification, since that's federal law for any system with refrigerant in it. The point of the visit is to catch a weak part before it fails on a hot afternoon.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, in spring before the heat sets in. Hackensack only needs cooling from June through August, so getting the system checked before that stretch means it's not working through 84°F afternoons with a dirty coil or a capacitor on its way out. Hail and wind are also part of the picture here. Ten years of storm records for this area show 42 hail events and 155 damaging wind events, so a spring check is also a chance to catch any coil or fan damage from the past year before summer starts.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of what fails on an air conditioner shows warning signs before it quits outright. A weak capacitor, a coil coated in dust, a low refrigerant charge, these all make the system work harder and give out sooner. Catching them in spring means the system is ready for the three months a year this area actually needs it. A contractor can walk through exactly what a maintenance visit would cost for your unit and setup.