AC Repair in Denver, CO
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Denver County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Denver asks a lot from your AC in a short season
Your air conditioner only gets three months to earn its keep here, June through August, and summer afternoons average 87°F. A unit that sits idle most of the year has to start up strong the first hot day, and a capacitor or contactor that was already weak often fails right then rather than gradually.
Denver's storms add another problem. Hail has hit this area 142 times in the last ten years, with stones up to 2.75 inches, and that kind of impact bends the thin fins on your outdoor coil and can crack the fan blades. Add 64 damaging wind events over the same stretch and the outdoor unit takes a beating well before it is asked to run all day. You will notice it as weak airflow, a unit that runs constantly without cooling the house, or a condenser that rattles when it kicks on.
- 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
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $30 a year off cooling for a typical Denver County home.
Estimates for a typical Denver 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?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can cause it to ice over so it stops cooling the air. Low refrigerant from a leak does the same thing and won't fix itself. If the outdoor unit isn't running at all while the indoor fan blows, the compressor or capacitor likely failed. Check the filter first, and if it's clean, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the compressor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, so the water that normally drains away is backing up and overflowing the pan. A dirty filter can cause the same leak a different way, by icing up the coil, which then melts and floods the drain pan when the system shuts off. If the pan itself has rusted through or cracked, water will leak no matter how clear the line is. Shut the system off until it's looked at, since running it can mean water damage to the floor or ceiling below.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power, the batteries are good, and it's set below the current room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole system. Denver has had 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a power blip during one of those can trip a breaker without you noticing. If the breaker is fine and it still won't start, the capacitor or the compressor itself may have failed, and that calls for a contractor.