AC Repair in Scranton, PA
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lackawanna County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then long stretches of nothing
Your air conditioner in Scranton only earns its keep in July and August, with afternoons averaging around 78°F. That short, hard push is different from running steady all season. The system sits idle much of the year, then gets asked to start up and hold a full load right away.
Lackawanna County has also logged 127 damaging wind events and 21 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can bend the fins on your outdoor coil or pelt it with debris, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the coil itself. If your air conditioner is blowing warm or struggling to keep up, a storm-damaged coil or a unit that sat unused too long are both places to look first.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 127 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 Lackawanna County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Lackawanna 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.
Registration puts the business on file with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Nobody tested the contractor's skill to get there, and the state doesn't hold a trade license behind it. Since cities and towns in Pennsylvania can't layer on their own HVAC license, this registration is the only state-level record tied to the business doing your repair.
What actually governs the work on your air conditioner is federal. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule applies the same way in every state, Pennsylvania included. That certification, not the state registration, is the credential tied to the person handling your refrigerant.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first since it's the easiest fix. If the filter is clean, low refrigerant from a leak is a likely cause, and that's not something to top off yourself since it means there's a leak somewhere in the system. A failing compressor or a frozen evaporator coil can also cut off cold air, and both need a contractor to diagnose. If the air coming out is warm rather than just weak, shut the system off and call someone, since running it low on refrigerant or with a frozen coil can damage the compressor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this is a clogged condensate drain line, and algae or dirt building up inside the line is the usual cause. When the line clogs, water backs up and drips from the indoor unit instead of draining outside like it should. A dirty air filter can also cause this indirectly, since restricted airflow lets the evaporator coil ice over, and the water shows up when that ice melts. Either way, turn the system off until it's looked at, since water can damage the furnace or the floor beneath the unit.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and below the current room temperature, and check the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. Summers here only run July through August, so an AC that sat unused most of the year can also trip a safety switch or have a capacitor go bad from sitting idle, and that calls for a contractor to test and replace the part.