AC Repair in Bethlehem, PA
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Northampton County will get in touch.
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Three months of hard running, every summer
Bethlehem only asks for cooling from June through August, but those three months work your air conditioner hard. Afternoons averaging 82°F mean the compressor runs long hours to keep up, and it does that for a short stretch instead of spreading the load across the year.
Northampton County has also seen its share of rough weather, with 172 damaging wind events and 19 hail events over the past ten years, one hailstone reaching 1.5 inches. Wind can knock debris into the outdoor unit's fins and bend them shut, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or the coil behind it. When the fins are blocked or the coil is damaged, the unit struggles to shed heat, and you notice it as warm air from the vents or a system that runs and runs without cooling the house down.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 19 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 172 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 Northampton County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Northampton County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Nobody tested the contractor's work to get that number, and the state keeps no record of what they know. Northampton County and its towns cannot add their own license on top of it, so this registration is the only state-level record that exists for the contractor doing your repair.
What actually covers the work on your air conditioner is federal. Anyone who opens the refrigerant side of your system, which most repairs require, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is the same in every state and it is what says a technician is trained to handle refrigerant safely and legally.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that happens the coil can ice over, and once it's iced up the air coming through the vents turns warm even though the system is running. Low refrigerant from a leak causes the same thing, and that one needs a contractor to find the leak and fix it. If the outdoor unit isn't running at all while the indoor blower is, that points to the compressor or a capacitor rather than the coil.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time the condensate drain line is clogged, and water that should run outside backs up and drips inside instead. Algae and dust build up in that line over a season of running, especially through a summer here that stretches June to August. A frozen coil that then thaws will also leave water where you don't expect it, usually pooling under the indoor unit. Either way the fix is straightforward for a contractor, but keep the system off until it's cleared so the water damage doesn't spread.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is actually below the room temperature, and if it runs on batteries, try fresh ones. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down with no warning. Bethlehem sees its share of damaging wind, and a power blip during a storm is a common reason an AC won't restart on its own. If the breaker is fine and it still won't start, the problem is likely inside the unit, in the capacitor or the contactor, and that calls for a contractor to open it up and check.