An outdoor air conditioning condenser unit positioned beside a blue-sided house at sunset.

AC Maintenance in Montrose, CO

Air conditioners here run from July through August, so June is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Montrose County will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment

What kind of equipment?*

Overhead view of a gray residential air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad beside a house with asphalt shingle roofing.

Two months of real work, then months of sitting still

Your air conditioner in Montrose County only earns its keep in July and August, with afternoons averaging 83°F. That is a short, hard push after months of sitting idle, and the parts that start it up are the ones that feel that most. A capacitor or contactor that sat unused since last summer is the kind of thing a tune-up checks before the first hot day asks it to work.

Montrose has also seen its share of hail and wind, four hail events and 53 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.5 inches. That kind of weather can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or knock debris into it, and a coil that is not moving air the way it should makes your system work harder for the same result.

2 months: July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
83°F: the average summer afternoon it cools against
4 hail events: in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
53 wind events: in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units

Isometric cutaway illustration of a house interior showing ducted air handling equipment, ceiling ducts, furniture in two rooms, and an outdoor condenser unit connected by lines outside the wall.

Your air conditioner works hardest from July through August.

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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

Overhead view of an outdoor AC condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with a dark shingle roof.

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

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 the refrigerant level, cleans the outdoor coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor that start the compressor and fan. They also check the condensate drain, since a clogged one backs up and can shut the system down or leak into the house. On the inside, they check the filter and the evaporator coil, and confirm the system is actually cooling the air by the amount it should. With 53 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, it's worth having them check the outdoor unit's electrical connections and cabinet too, since wind-blown debris can loosen or damage them.
How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?: Once a year is standard, done before the season it will run hardest. Here that means getting it looked at before July, since July and August are the two months homes actually need cooling. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before a hot afternoon turns it into a no-cool call.
Is AC maintenance worth it?: Yes, because most breakdowns trace back to something a technician would have caught, a failing capacitor, a dirty coil, a clogged drain. Catching those before summer means the system is not straining to keep up on an afternoon that averages 83 degrees. It also matters after storms. Four hail events and 53 damaging wind events have hit this area over the past ten years, and either can bend fins on the outdoor coil or loosen a connection without it being obvious from looking at the unit.

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