AC Repair in Luling, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers St. Charles Parish will get in touch.
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Seven months of heat, and the storms in between
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months of the year. On summer afternoons that average 91°F, the compressor doesn't get much of a break, and the constant cycling wears on it faster than it would somewhere cooler. That kind of steady load is what pushes a compressor toward the end of its life, and it's often why a unit that was cooling fine starts falling behind on the hottest days.
St. Charles Parish has also seen 26 damaging wind events and 5 hail storms over the past ten years, one dropping hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can bend the fins on your outdoor unit's coil or throw debris into it, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the coil itself. Either one makes the system work harder to move the same amount of heat, 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
- 5 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 26 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 St. Charles Parish home.
Estimates for a typical St. Charles 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 HVAC contractors in this state. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers the work whether it is a repair, an installation, or a service call.
A repair on your air conditioner most likely means opening the refrigerant side of the system, to fix a leak or to recover and recharge it. Any technician who does that, in any state, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal requirement and it sits alongside the state license, not 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 cutting off airflow across the coil, which can cause it to ice up. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that takes a licensed contractor to find and fix, since only someone with EPA 608 certification can open the refrigerant side. A failing compressor can also leave you with air movement but no cooling. Check the filter first. If it's clean and you're still not getting cold air, the system needs a licensed contractor to look at it, especially with summer afternoons here running around 91°F.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit almost always means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block the water that normally drains away, so it backs up and overflows instead. A dirty filter can also cause the coil to freeze and then drip water as it thaws. Shut the system off if you see water pooling, since running it longer can mean more water damage or a tripped safety switch.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat. Check that it has power and is set to cool with a temperature below the room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will keep the whole system from starting. Louisiana sees enough wind events to knock out power or trip breakers, so that's worth ruling out first. If power and the thermostat check out and the unit still won't start, the problem is likely in the system itself, in a part like the capacitor or contactor, and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it.