AC Repair in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Luzerne County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of hard running, with storms in between
Your air conditioner in Luzerne County only works July and August, with afternoons averaging 79°F. It sits idle most of the year, then has to run hard as soon as summer arrives. A system that has a weak part often shows it in that first stretch of real heat, not before.
The outdoor unit also has to sit through whatever the weather brings the rest of the year. This area has logged 151 damaging wind events and 22 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can drive debris into the condenser fins or knock the unit off level. Hail that size can dent the fins or the fan grille, and bent fins block airflow across the coil. If your AC is running longer than it should or not cooling like it did, the outdoor unit is worth a look.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 22 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 151 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 Luzerne County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Luzerne 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 at the state tests the contractor's ability to repair an air conditioner or checks their work against any trade standard. Pennsylvania also keeps this a state matter. A city or township here cannot layer its own HVAC license on top of it, so the registration is the same everywhere in the state.
The part that does test something is federal. Any technician who opens the refrigerant lines on your air conditioner, to recover it, recharge it, or get to a failed part, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That rule holds in every state regardless of what Pennsylvania does or doesn't require. That certification is what stands behind the refrigerant work itself.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty outdoor coil can cause the same thing, since it stops the unit from shedding heat the way it needs to. Check the filter first. If it's clean and the air is still warm, the system needs a contractor to check refrigerant levels and pressures.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line is probably clogged, and water that should run outside is backing up into your house instead. This line collects condensation from the coil and can grow algae or collect dirt over time, the same as any drain does. A frozen coil that's now thawing will cause the same puddle, so if the air was warm before you noticed water, that's likely the reason. Either way, shut the system off until a contractor looks at it, since water damage can get worse the longer it sits.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. If the breaker keeps tripping when you reset it, that points to an electrical problem inside the unit and it needs a contractor rather than another reset. With 151 damaging wind events here over the past ten years, outdoor units in Wilkes-Barre also take debris strikes or power surges that can trip a breaker or damage a component, so if this started right after a storm, mention that when a contractor comes out.