AC Repair in Denham Springs, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Livingston Parish will get in touch.
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Seven months of heat, every year
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months of the year. On summer afternoons that average 91°F, it does not get much of a break between cycles. That kind of run time wears on the compressor and the capacitor that helps start it, and a weak capacitor shows up as a unit that hums but will not start, or a fan that spins slow.
Livingston Parish has also seen 59 damaging wind events and 17 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind that strong can bend the fins on your outdoor coil or knock the unit out of level, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or the coil fins themselves. Either one makes the system work harder to move air across the coil, and you notice it as weaker cooling or a unit that runs longer than it used to.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 17 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 59 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $70 a year off cooling for a typical Livingston Parish home.
Estimates for a typical Livingston 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 tested this contractor before issuing that license, and the board keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers the person or company you hire, not this particular repair.
Most air conditioner repairs mean opening the refrigerant side of the system, and any technician who does that needs EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal rule and it applies the same way in every state. The state license tells you the board has this contractor on record. The federal certification tells you the person handling your refrigerant is qualified to do that part of the job.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first. If the filter is clean, the coil inside could be frozen from low refrigerant or blocked airflow, and it needs time to thaw before a contractor can find the real cause. A failing compressor or a refrigerant leak will also leave you with warm air, and both need a licensed contractor to open the system and diagnose it, since Louisiana requires an EPA 608 certification to work on the refrigerant side. With summer afternoons here averaging 91°F, it is worth getting this looked at quickly.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged, and water is backing up instead of draining outside. Algae and dirt build up in that line over months of summer use, and with 7 months of cooling season here it happens more than in cooler climates. It can also mean the drain pan has rusted through, or the coil has frozen and is now melting and overflowing the pan as it thaws. A contractor can clear the line or replace the pan depending on what they find.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power, the batteries are good if it uses them, and it is set to cool below the room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the whole outdoor unit. Storms move through this area often enough, with 59 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, that a breaker trip after bad weather is a common reason. If power is reaching the unit and it still will not start, the capacitor or the contactor has likely failed, and that repair needs a licensed contractor.