AC Repair in Glassboro, NJ
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Gloucester County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running in Glassboro heat
Your air conditioner works June through September here, with afternoons averaging 85°F. That is four straight months of long run times, and the system does not get much of a break in between. The compressor and the capacitor that helps start it take the brunt of that load, and after a few summers of this, a weak capacitor is a common reason a unit will not start or the fan just hums.
Glassboro has also seen 140 damaging wind events and 9 hail storms over the past ten years, one dropping hail over an inch wide. Outdoor units sit exposed to all of it, and bent fins or a damaged fan blade from wind-blown debris will show up as weaker airflow or a system that runs constantly without cooling the house down.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 9 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 140 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $30 a year off cooling for a typical Gloucester County home.
Estimates for a typical Gloucester County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New Jersey 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.
New Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued per job, so the same license covers this repair along with everything else that contractor takes on. It comes from the State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, which tested the contractor before granting it. Because the state licenses HVAC contractors, no town or city in New Jersey can layer its own license requirement on top. The rule is the same wherever in the state the work happens.
For a repair on an air conditioner, that state license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the repair involves opening the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also needs to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement that applies in every state and exists apart from New Jersey's licensing.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Usually it means the refrigerant is low, the coil is frozen, or the outdoor unit is too dirty to shed heat. A dirty filter can also choke airflow enough that the air coming out feels warm even though the system is running fine otherwise. If the coil has ice on it, shut the system off and let it thaw before anyone touches it, since running it iced up can damage the compressor. A technician holding EPA Section 608 certification is who has to handle the refrigerant side if that turns out to be the problem.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most often the drain line is clogged and the condensate has nowhere to go but back into your house. It can also mean the coil froze and is now melting, which points to a separate airflow or refrigerant problem. A cracked drain pan will do it too, especially in an older unit. Turn the system off until someone looks at it, since water near the furnace or in the ductwork can cause more damage the longer it sits.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat, since dead batteries or a setting bumped off cool is the most common reason. If that checks out, look at the breaker, since outdoor units trip breakers more than people expect, especially after a storm. Glassboro sees its share of damaging wind, and a power blip during one can trip a breaker without any other sign of trouble. If the breaker holds and the thermostat is set right, the problem is inside the unit and a contractor will need to find it.