AC Maintenance in Salem, NJ
Air conditioners here run from June through September, so May is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Salem County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of hard running takes a toll
Your air conditioner in Salem County works from June through September, with summer afternoons averaging 85°F. That is four months of long run times to hold the house steady, and that kind of steady use is when a weak part gives out.
A tune-up before the season catches what that running exposes, a weak capacitor, low refrigerant, a dirty coil that makes the whole system work harder to do the same job. The outdoor unit also sits through whatever the weather brings, and Salem County has recorded 73 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Checking it over before summer means those weak spots get found on a mild day, not a hot one.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 6 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 73 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.
The license is issued to the contractor by the state board, not to each job the contractor takes on, and once a contractor holds it, no town in New Jersey can add its own license requirement on top. So the same license that covers a furnace install covers this maintenance visit, wherever in the state you are.
A maintenance visit on an air conditioner usually means checking refrigerant levels and pressures, which means the technician is opening the refrigerant side of the system. Federal law requires that person to hold EPA Section 608 certification, no matter what state they work in. In New Jersey, that certification sits alongside the state license rather than replacing it.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician cleans the condenser coil, checks the refrigerant charge, 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 shut the system down. They also check the thermostat settings and the airflow across the coil, then run the system to see if it cools the way it should. Anyone working on the refrigerant side has to hold an EPA Section 608 certification, so that part of the job only a licensed technician can do.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the season it has to work hardest. Salem summers run June through September with afternoons averaging 85°F, so having the system checked before then gives a technician time to catch a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before the heat sets in. A system that goes into those months running clean is a lot less likely to quit on the afternoon you need it most.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most of what shuts a system down in the middle of summer is something a technician could have caught earlier. A dirty coil, a weak capacitor, a clogged drain, these build slowly and maintenance is what catches them before they become a no-cool call. Salem also sees its share of hail and wind, 6 hail events and 73 damaging wind events over the past ten years, so a yearly check is also a chance to look over the outdoor unit for storm damage before it turns into a bigger problem.