AC Repair in Flint, MI
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Genesee County will get in touch.
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Three months of heat, a year of storms in between
Flint only asks your air conditioner to run June through August, and summer afternoons here average 81°F. That is a short stretch of real work sandwiched between long months when the unit sits outside doing nothing. A capacitor or contactor that goes weak over the winter often does not show it until the system has to work again, and that first hot day in June is when it gives out.
The outdoor unit also sits through whatever weather passes through the rest of the year. Genesee County has seen 71 damaging wind events and 17 hail events over the last ten years, with hail as large as 2.75 inches. Wind drives debris into the coil and fins, and hail that size can dent them or crack the fins outright. You notice it as an AC that runs longer than it should, cools the house less than it used to, or does not start at all once you need it.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 17 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 71 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Genesee County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Genesee County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Michigan 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.
Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to each job, so it's the company and the people it sends out who are on record with the state, not this particular repair. The Board of Mechanical Rules is who tested them and who the license runs through.
For an air conditioner repair, the part that matters most is the refrigerant. Any technician who opens that side of the system, here or anywhere in the country, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That's separate from the state license and it's federal, so it applies no matter who's doing the work or where.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, so check that first. A dirty filter makes the evaporator coil so cold it ices over, and once that happens you get warm air or no air at all until the ice melts. It can also mean the refrigerant charge is low, which points to a leak somewhere in the line set or coil. A contractor can check the charge and find the leak, since refrigerant does not just run low on its own.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Your AC makes water as it cools the air, and that water is supposed to drain outside through the condensate line. When that line clogs with algae or dirt, the water backs up and drips inside instead, often near the indoor unit. A frozen evaporator coil will also cause this once it thaws, so warm air along with the leak points to ice buildup rather than a clogged drain. Either way the fix is different depending on the cause, so it is worth having someone look before summer humidity makes it worse.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to cool and the temperature is below the room temperature, and swap the batteries if the screen is dim or blank. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker will keep the whole system dead. If the breaker is fine too and the unit still will not start, the capacitor or contactor in the outdoor unit may have failed, and that is a job for a licensed contractor to test and replace.