An outdoor air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad next to a blue-sided residential house at sunset.

AC Maintenance in Denver, CO

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 Denver County will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment

What kind of equipment?*

An outdoor central air conditioning unit mounted on a concrete pad beside a blue-sided house at sunset.

Three months of hard work, then months of sitting still

Your air conditioner in Denver County works hard from June through August, when summer afternoons average 87°F, then sits idle the rest of the year. That idle stretch is when dust settles on the coil and small problems go unnoticed, because nothing is running to show them.

Denver has also logged 142 hail events and 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches. That kind of storm can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil or knock the unit out of level without you ever knowing, until the week you need it most. A tune-up before summer catches a bent coil, a low refrigerant charge, or a fan not pulling its full airflow, while there is still time to fix it before the heat sets in.

3 months: June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
87°F: the average summer afternoon it cools against
142 hail events: in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
64 wind events: in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units

Isometric line illustration of a cutaway single-story house showing interior rooms with furniture, ceiling ductwork, an indoor air handler, and an outdoor condenser unit connected by lines along the exterior wall.

Your air conditioner works hardest from June through August.

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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

Aerial view of a square outdoor air conditioning condenser unit on a concrete pad beside a house wall with a sliding glass door.

Book your AC tune-up in May, before homes here start needing cooling in June.

A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.

What does AC maintenance include?: A technician checks refrigerant levels, cleans the condenser coil outside, and tests the capacitor and contactor that start the compressor. They also check the coolant lines and drain line, and make sure the filter is clean so air moves through the coil the way it should. Most of this is aimed at catching the parts that wear out or clog before they cause a breakdown.
How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?: Once a year, ideally in spring before the heat sets in. Denver only asks the system to run three months out of the year, June through August, but afternoons average 87°F during that stretch, so the unit is working hard for the time it does run. A spring check catches a weak capacitor or low refrigerant before it fails on the first hot day.
Is AC maintenance worth it?: Yes, because most of what causes a summer breakdown, a dirty coil, a failing capacitor, low refrigerant, shows up during a maintenance visit before it leaves you without cooling. Denver has also logged 142 hail events and 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years, so a yearly visit is a good time to have the outdoor unit checked for storm damage too. A contractor can tell you what your system needs based on its age and condition.

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