AC Maintenance in Houma, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October, so March is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Terrebonne Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of heat wears on a system that never gets a break
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That kind of heat keeps the compressor cycling most of the day to hold the house at temperature. Every cycle puts the same wear on the same parts. The capacitor loses its charge. The contactor's points wear down. The coil picks up dust and grass clippings until it can't shed heat the way it should.
A tune-up catches these before the system quits on a hot afternoon. A technician checks the capacitor's charge, tests the contactor, and cleans the coil. Terrebonne Parish has also seen 28 damaging wind events and 10 hail events over the past ten years, so part of a visit is looking over the outdoor unit itself, the cabinet, the fins, the fan, for anything a storm may have bent or cracked.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 10 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 28 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in March, before homes here start needing cooling in April.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors tests contractors before they can hold this license, and the license sits with the contractor rather than being issued job by job. That means the person or company you hire is the one the state has on record, not just the crew that shows up.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the work. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner to check the charge, federal law requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification on top of the state license, no matter what state they work in.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they clean or replace the filter, check the evaporator coil, and make sure the drain line isn't clogged. They'll also check electrical connections and confirm the thermostat is calling for cooling correctly. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of your system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement everywhere.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the weather turns hot. Here that means scheduling it before April, since your system runs from April through October with summer afternoons averaging 90 degrees. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before it fails on the first 90-degree day.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially given how many months your system has to work. Seven months of cooling a year puts real hours on the compressor and coils, and regular maintenance catches small problems, a dirty coil, a failing capacitor, before they become a system that won't turn on. The parish has also seen 28 damaging wind events and 10 hail events over the past ten years, so a yearly check is a chance to look over the outdoor unit for storm damage too.