AC Repair in Hammond, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Tangipahoa Parish will get in touch.
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Seven months of heat wears on your AC
Your air conditioner runs April through October in Hammond, and on summer afternoons that average 91°F it does not get much of a break. That kind of stretch keeps the compressor working hard for months at a time, and the capacitor that helps start it takes the strain right along with it. When one of those wears out, the unit hums but the compressor never kicks on, or it shuts off on its own before the house cools down.
The parish has also logged 48 damaging wind events and 14 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches. Wind can knock the outdoor unit's fan blades out of true or drive debris into the coil, and hail that size can dent the fins or the cabinet itself. Either one shows up as a system that runs but does not cool like it used to.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 14 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 48 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $60 a year off cooling for a typical Tangipahoa Parish home.
Estimates for a typical Tangipahoa 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 and records the contractor, not the job. That license stays tied to the business, so a repair on your air conditioner is covered by the same credential whether the company is fixing a thermostat or replacing a compressor.
Because this is a repair, the part that matters most is the refrigerant. Any technician who opens that side of your air conditioner has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule that applies in every state. In Louisiana, that federal certification sits alongside the state license rather than in place of it.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, so check that first. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that one needs a licensed technician since opening the refrigerant side requires EPA certification. A failing compressor or a blocked outdoor unit can also cause this. With summer afternoons here averaging 91°F, a system already low on refrigerant will struggle most on the hottest days.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the drain line has clogged with algae or dirt and the pan is overflowing. It can also mean the coil has frozen over and is now thawing and dripping. A dirty air filter is often behind a frozen coil, since it cuts off the airflow the coil needs to stay above freezing. If the water is showing up near the indoor unit and the system has been running for months straight, as it does here from April through October, the drain line is the first place to look.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. If the breaker keeps tripping, that points to an electrical fault in the unit itself. A capacitor that has gone bad is another common cause, and it will not restart on its own no matter how many times you reset the breaker. Hammond has seen 14 hail events over the past ten years, so after a storm it is also worth having the outdoor unit checked for damage to the fan or coil fins. A licensed contractor can diagnose which of these it is.