AC Maintenance in Lake Charles, 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 Calcasieu Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of cooling in Calcasieu Parish heat
Your air conditioner runs April through October here, seven months a year, with summer afternoons averaging 91°F. That kind of heat keeps the compressor working long hours to hold the house at temperature. A tune-up during that stretch catches a low refrigerant charge or a dirty coil before either one pushes the compressor past what it can handle.
Storms take their own toll. Calcasieu Parish has logged 45 hail events and 77 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches recorded. A check on the outdoor unit after storm season can find bent fins or a cracked cabinet before they turn into a bigger repair.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 45 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 77 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 state tested this contractor before handing out that license, and the Board keeps a record of who holds one. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the specific visit to your house, so the license tells you this business met Louisiana's bar to do HVAC work at all.
For a maintenance visit, what actually governs the work being done to your air conditioner is federal. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system, checking charge, adding refrigerant, anything past the filter and the outside of the coil, they need EPA Section 608 certification to do it, and that rule holds in every state, not just Louisiana.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil outside and the evaporator coil if it is accessible, and tests the capacitor and contactor that get the compressor and fan running. They also check the filter, clear the condensate drain line, and check that the blower is moving enough air across the coil. Opening the refrigerant side requires an EPA Section 608 certification, so whoever does that part of the check has to hold it. Outdoor units here take a beating from hail and wind, so a look at the coil fins and cabinet for storm damage is worth including even when the system is still running fine.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the weather turns hot. Homes in Lake Charles need cooling from April through October, seven months of the year, so spring is the right time to have it done before the system runs flat out through summer afternoons that average 91 degrees. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it causes a breakdown once the heat sets in.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially here. The system runs seven months a year against summer highs near 91 degrees, so a small problem like a dirty coil or a failing capacitor gets tested hard and fast. Lake Charles has also seen 45 hail events and 77 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a yearly check is when a contractor is likely to spot coil or cabinet damage from a storm before it turns into a bigger repair.