AC Repair in New Iberia, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Iberia 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 afternoons that average 90°F, it doesn't 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 means the unit hums but the compressor doesn't kick on.
Iberia Parish has also seen 25 damaging wind events and 8 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.5 inches. Wind can knock the outdoor unit's fan blade out of true or rattle its electrical connections loose, and hail that size can bend the thin fins on the condenser coil. Once those fins are crushed flat, the coil can't shed heat the way it should, and the system struggles to cool the house even though it's running.
- 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
- 25 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 Iberia Parish home.
Estimates for a typical Iberia 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 each job that contractor does. So the license tells you the person or business behind the work has met the state's standard, but it does not mean this particular repair gets checked by the state on its own.
For an air conditioner repair, the part that matters most is the refrigerant. Any technician who opens that side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule applies no matter what state you're in. In Iberia Parish, the contractor's state license and that federal certification are the two things standing behind the person working on your unit.
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 across the coil. When that happens the coil can ice up, and once it's iced over you'll get weak or warm air until the ice melts. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that takes a licensed contractor to find and fix since it means opening the sealed system. A failing capacitor or compressor can also keep the unit from cooling even though the fan still runs, so if a new filter doesn't solve it, have someone look at it before you run it through another 90-degree afternoon.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Algae and dirt build up in that line over a cooling season and block the path the water normally takes outside, so it backs up and drips out near the indoor unit instead. A cracked drain pan or an iced-up coil that's now melting can also cause it. Since your system runs from April through October here, that drain line gets months of steady use each year, so a clog is worth checking first.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker. A dead thermostat battery or a tripped breaker will stop the unit cold and both are easy to check yourself. If those are fine, the problem is likely electrical inside the unit, a failed capacitor, a bad contactor, or a blown fuse on the control board. A licensed contractor can test which part failed and replace it.