AC Maintenance in Lafayette, 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 Lafayette Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of Lafayette heat wears on your AC
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months of the year. On afternoons that hit 91°F, it is not cycling off and on like it does in milder weather. It is running long stretches just to keep up, and that means more hours on the compressor and more strain on the refrigerant charge than a system in a cooler climate ever sees.
Lafayette Parish has also logged 39 damaging wind events and 16 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. That kind of weather can bend the fins on an outdoor coil or knock debris into the unit, and a bent fin or a dirty coil makes the system work harder in a summer that already asks a lot of it. A tune-up checks the coil, the refrigerant charge, and the electrical connections before the next stretch of 91-degree afternoons puts them to the test.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 16 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 39 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
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- 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 issuing that license and keeps a record of who holds one. It is tied to the contractor, not to each job, so the same license covers the work whether it is a repair call or a full maintenance visit.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the person in your driveway. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner to check the charge or the coil, federal law also requires EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule that applies in every state. That certification covers refrigerant handling specifically. The state license is what covers the rest of the job.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside the house, they check the evaporator coil and clear the condensate drain, since a clogged drain can back up and damage the ceiling or wall around it. They also check the thermostat, tighten electrical connections, and change or check the filter. Opening the refrigerant lines requires EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that applies everywhere, not just here.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, ideally in spring before the heat sets in. Homes in Lafayette run the AC from April through October, seven months of the year, so the system carries a heavy load most of the time it's in use. A check before that stretch starts catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before it fails on a 91°F afternoon.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, mainly because it catches small problems while they're still small. A dirty coil or a weak capacitor makes the system work harder, and left alone long enough, that strain can take out the compressor, which costs far more to replace than to maintain. In Lafayette the AC carries the house for seven months a year at summer highs around 91°F, so there isn't much room for something to be off. Maintenance won't fix storm damage. Lafayette has seen 16 hail events over the past ten years, including hail up to 1.75 inches, and 39 damaging wind events in that stretch, and a unit that's been hit or knocked around needs a repair visit, not a maintenance visit.