AC Repair in New Orleans, LA
Air conditioners here run from April through October. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Orleans Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of heat wears an AC down
Your air conditioner runs April through October here, seven months of the year, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That is a long stretch with the compressor cycling on almost every day, and it adds up. Capacitors weaken, contactors pit, and the condenser fan motor logs hours most units in cooler climates never see.
Orleans Parish has also had 35 damaging wind events over the past ten years, along with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind-blown debris bends condenser fins and can knock loose the electrical connections at the outdoor unit. If your system is blowing warm air or short cycling in the middle of summer, worn parts or storm damage to the outdoor unit are common reasons why.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 6 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 35 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 Orleans Parish home.
Estimates for a typical Orleans 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 state licensing board tests contractors before they get that license, then keeps a record of who holds one. It is tied to the contractor, not to the specific repair, so the same license covers this job and the next one they take on.
For a repair like this, the license is what stands behind the work. Since the job means opening the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also needs to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which every state requires for that part of the work regardless of its own licensing rules.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often it's low refrigerant from a leak, a dirty filter choking airflow, or ice built up on the coil. If the outdoor unit is running but the air coming out feels warm or barely cool, check the filter first since a clogged one is the easiest fix. Anything involving refrigerant needs a contractor with EPA 608 certification, since that's federal law for anyone opening that side of the system.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line is probably clogged. Your air conditioner pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water is supposed to run out through a condensate line, but algae and debris build up in that line over time and back it up. A cracked drain pan or a coil frozen over and now thawing can also send water where it shouldn't go.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and below the room temperature, and check the breaker panel for a tripped switch, since central air units run on their own circuit. If both look fine, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, in the capacitor or the contactor, and that calls for a licensed contractor to open it up and test it.