AC Repair in Aurora, CO
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Arapahoe County will get in touch.
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Three months of heat, then hail on top of it
Your air conditioner in Aurora only gets three months to do its job, June through August, with afternoons averaging 86°F. That short, hard stretch means the compressor and fan run flat out for weeks at a time once summer starts, without the easier days in between to rest on.
The county has logged 175 hail events and 97 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches. That kind of storm hits the outdoor unit directly. Hail bends the thin aluminum fins on the condenser coil, and wind can drive debris into the cabinet or knock it off level. A coil with bent fins can't move heat the way it should, and you notice the house not cooling like it used to, even though the unit still turns on.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 175 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 97 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Arapahoe County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Arapahoe County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Colorado 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.
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and blocking airflow across the coil, or the coil itself has iced up from restricted airflow. Low refrigerant from a leak will also cause this, though that's not something you can check yourself. Check the filter first, then have a contractor look at the coil and refrigerant charge if that doesn't fix it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The condensate drain line is probably clogged, which backs water up until it overflows the drain pan. Algae and debris build up in that line over time, especially during the summer months when the system runs steadily. A frozen coil that's now thawing can also flood the pan faster than it can drain. If the water is coming from inside the house near the air handler, shut the system off and have a contractor clear the line before it causes more damage.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. A tripped breaker or a thermostat that's lost power will stop the system cold with no other symptoms. If those check out, the capacitor or the contactor may have failed, and those are parts a contractor needs to test and replace. Aurora has seen a good number of damaging wind events over the past decade, and a power surge from one of those can take out these components too.