AC Maintenance in Kenner, 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 Jefferson Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of Kenner heat wears on a system that never gets to rest
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months out of the year. On a 90 degree afternoon it is not cycling off and on. It is running long stretches just to hold the house steady. That kind of steady load wears on the capacitor that starts the compressor and the contactor that switches it on. The coil has to stay clean to move heat the way it should.
A tune-up catches that wear before it turns into a system that will not start on the next hot afternoon. It is also a chance to get eyes on the unit after storm season. Jefferson Parish has seen 38 damaging wind events and 11 hail events in the last ten years, including hail up to 2.75 inches. That kind of damage is not always easy to spot from the ground.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 11 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 38 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 license comes from the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and it covers the contractor, not the individual job. That means the board has tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, not that an inspector signs off on the maintenance visit to your air conditioner.
For the actual work of servicing your AC, the license is what stands behind the person in your driveway. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system to check the charge or the coil, federal law also requires them to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule that applies in every state. Louisiana's license and that federal certification are separate things, and a maintenance visit on your air conditioner can call for both.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, the evaporator coil gets inspected and the drain line gets cleared so condensate has somewhere to go. They also check the filter, look at electrical connections, and confirm the thermostat is calling for cooling correctly. Anyone opening the refrigerant lines to check the charge has to hold an EPA Section 608 certification, so that part of the job can't be skipped or done informally.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year is standard, done in spring before the heat sets in. Here that means the system runs from April through October, seven months of afternoons averaging 90°F, so a spring check catches problems before the unit has to work that hard for that long. A dirty coil or low refrigerant charge doesn't get better on its own once summer starts.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because a system that runs seven months a year at 90°F afternoon highs is under steady load with little break to recover from a small problem. Maintenance catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil while it's still a quick fix, not a breakdown in the middle of summer. This area has also seen hail up to 2.75 inches and 38 damaging wind events over the past ten years, so an annual check is also a chance to spot storm damage to the outdoor unit before it turns into a bigger repair.