What Air Conditioning Repair Involves
Central air conditioning problems generally trace back to one of a few systems: the refrigerant circuit, the electrical components, or airflow across the coils. Low refrigerant from a leak, a failing capacitor or contactor, a frozen evaporator coil, or a clogged condenser covered in yard debris will each stop a system from cooling properly, and each requires a different fix. We test pressures, amp draw and temperature split across the coil to narrow down the actual cause before opening anything up.
Electrical failures are some of the most common reasons an air conditioner will not start at all. A weak run capacitor, a worn contactor with pitted contacts, or a tripped high pressure switch can all present as a unit that simply hums or does nothing when the thermostat calls for cooling. We check these components with a multimeter rather than replacing them on assumption, since a capacitor that tests within range does not need to be swapped.
Refrigerant leaks require locating the leak, not just topping off the charge, since adding refrigerant to a system with an unrepaired leak only delays the same failure. Once the source is found and sealed, we recharge the system to the manufacturer's specified charge and verify performance with superheat and subcooling measurements rather than by feel.