AC Repair in Abbeville, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Vermilion Parish will get in touch.
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Seven months of Abbeville heat wears an AC down early
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That is seven months of the compressor cycling on and off most days, and it adds up faster than in places with a short cooling season.
Vermilion Parish also sees its share of rough weather. Ten years of records show 8 hail events and 22 damaging wind events, with hail up to 2.75 inches. Hail can dent the fins on the outdoor coil, and high winds can knock the unit out of alignment or throw debris into it. If your system is blowing warm air or short cycling, the long season and the storms it comes with are often why.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 22 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $80 a year off cooling for a typical Vermilion Parish home.
Estimates for a typical Vermilion Parish home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Louisiana 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.
Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors tests contractors before it licenses them, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that covers a new install covers a repair call to your air conditioner.
For this repair, the license is what stands behind the person working on your system. If the job opens up the refrigerant lines, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and applies in every state, not something Louisiana adds on top. Between the two, you have a contractor the state has tested and a technician cleared to handle the refrigerant itself.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- 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. A dirty filter will make the coil freeze over, and once that happens the air coming out feels warm even though the compressor is running fine. Low refrigerant needs a licensed contractor, since checking or adding it means opening the refrigerant side of the system, which by federal law takes EPA 608 certification.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged or the coil has frozen and is now melting. The drain line carries away the water your AC pulls out of the air, and algae or dirt can block it over time. A frozen coil is often a sign of low airflow or low refrigerant, so if the leak keeps coming back, it is worth having a contractor look at both the drain and the coil.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check your thermostat first, since dead batteries or a setting knocked off cool will stop the system before it ever starts. If the thermostat looks right, a tripped breaker or a blown fuse at the outdoor unit is the next likely cause. Louisiana had 22 damaging wind events here over the past ten years, and a power surge from one of those can trip a breaker or damage the unit's electrical parts, so if the breaker won't stay reset, have a contractor check it before you try again.