AC Repair in Wilmington, DE
Air conditioners here run from June through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers New Castle County will get in touch.
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Four months of hard running in New Castle County
Your air conditioner works June through September here, and on afternoons that average 85°F it runs long stretches to keep up. That kind of steady demand wears on the compressor and the capacitor that gets it started. When the capacitor weakens, the unit can hum and struggle to start, or the outside fan won't turn at all.
New Castle County has also seen 228 damaging wind events over the past ten years, along with hail up to 1.5 inches. Wind-blown debris can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or knock loose the wiring and refrigerant lines running to it, and hail can dent the cabinet or damage the fan. After a storm, a unit that sounds different or blows warmer air than usual is worth having checked.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 228 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $40 a year off cooling for a typical New Castle County home.
Estimates for a typical New Castle County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Delaware 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.
Delaware requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state's Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners tested the contractor and keeps a record of that license. It is tied to the business, not to your specific repair, so the same license covers everything from a small fix to a full install.
For an air conditioner repair, the part of the job that touches refrigerant is also covered separately. Any technician who opens the sealed system to work on the refrigerant needs EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule holds in every state regardless of what Delaware does on top of it. Between the two, the contractor's state license and the technician's federal certification, this job has both the business and the person doing the work accounted for.
Sources: Delaware Code Online · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty outdoor coil can cause the same problem, since it can't release heat properly when it's covered in dirt and debris. Check the filter first since that's the one thing you can rule out yourself. If it's clean and you're still getting warm air, the system needs a contractor to check refrigerant charge and look for a leak.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line that carries condensation away from your indoor unit is probably clogged, so the water is backing up and finding another way out. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time, especially with heavy summer use. A frozen evaporator coil that's now thawing can also flood the drain pan faster than it can drain. Either way, the water needs somewhere to go, and a contractor can clear the line or find what's causing the coil to freeze.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to cool and the temperature is set below the room temperature, and check whether it needs new batteries. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. Wilmington gets its share of damaging wind, and a power flicker during a storm can trip a breaker without you noticing. If the breaker is fine and the system still won't start, a contractor will need to check the capacitor and other electrical components inside the unit.