AC Repair in Elizabeth, CO
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Elbert County will get in touch.
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Two months of heat, then hail and wind the rest of the year
Elizabeth only asks an air conditioner to work July and August, with afternoons averaging 84°F. That is not a long season, but it means the unit sits idle most of the year and then has to start up reliably when the heat finally comes. A capacitor or contactor that sat unused since last summer is the kind of part that fails on that first hot day.
Elbert County has logged 165 hail events and 83 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3.5 inches. The outdoor unit takes the hit. Hail bends the thin aluminum fins on the condenser coil, and wind-driven debris can get into the cabinet or knock the unit out of alignment. When the fins are crushed, the coil cannot shed heat the way it should, and the air conditioner runs longer to cool the same house.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 165 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 83 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 Elbert County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Elbert 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 cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When air can't move past it right, the coil can ice over and the air coming out turns warm or weak. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common reason, and that needs a licensed contractor to find and fix. Check the filter first since it's the one thing you can rule out yourself.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water is supposed to run out through a drain line and away from the unit. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and drips out somewhere in the house instead. A cracked drain pan or a dirty filter causing the coil to freeze and then thaw can also do it.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is actually below room temperature, then check the batteries if it has a screen that looks dim or blank. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will keep the unit from getting power at all. If the breaker keeps tripping once you reset it, stop and have a contractor look at it rather than resetting it again.