AC Repair in Long Branch, NJ
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Monmouth County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running
Long Branch asks a lot of an air conditioner in a short stretch of time. From June through September your system runs almost every afternoon, working against highs that average 84°F. That kind of steady demand wears on the capacitor and the contactor, the parts that get the compressor started and keep it cycling, and it's often in the hottest part of the day that one of them finally gives out.
Monmouth County has also seen 253 damaging wind events and 32 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind that strong can bend the fins on your outdoor coil or knock the unit out of level, and hail that size can dent the coil or the fan housing. If your air conditioner is running rough or blowing warm after a storm has come through, that outdoor unit is worth a look.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 32 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 253 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 Monmouth County home.
Estimates for a typical Monmouth 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 comes from the State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, and it covers the contractor, not the job. New Jersey tested this contractor and keeps a record of them. Towns and cities in New Jersey cannot layer their own license on top of the state's, so the same rule applies to your address as anywhere else in the state.
For a repair like this, that state license is the thing standing behind the work. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of your air conditioner also needs EPA Section 608 certification, a federal requirement that applies no matter what state you're in. In New Jersey, the contractor's license is what ties the person in your home to a record the state keeps on file.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is low refrigerant from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty air filter or frozen evaporator coil can also cut off airflow so the air coming out feels weak or warm. Only a licensed technician with EPA Section 608 certification can legally open the refrigerant side to check the charge and find a leak. Check the filter first since that's the one thing worth ruling out yourself before calling someone.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. Algae and dust build up in that line over a long cooling season, and here the system runs from June through September. A frozen evaporator coil that then thaws can also flood the drain pan faster than it can drain. A contractor can clear the line and check whether something upstream, like a dirty filter, caused the coil to freeze in the first place.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker, since a dead battery or a tripped breaker will stop the system cold. If those are fine, the problem is likely electrical inside the unit itself, such as a failed capacitor or a tripped safety switch. Summer storms here bring damaging wind fairly often, 253 events over the past ten years, and a power interruption during a storm can trip a breaker without any other damage. A licensed contractor can test the electrical components and tell you what actually failed.