AC Repair in Troy, MI
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Oakland County will get in touch.
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Three months of hard work, then nothing
Your air conditioner in Troy only works June through August, then sits idle the rest of the year. Summer afternoons averaging 80°F mean the compressor runs hard through those three months, then goes quiet for the rest of the year until the first hot week asks it to start up again.
Oakland County has also logged 164 damaging wind events and 25 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2 inches recorded. Wind can bend or loosen the fins on your outdoor unit, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the coil inside it. If your air conditioner is blowing warm air or running weaker than it used to, a storm-damaged coil or a compressor strained from sitting idle so long is often why.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 25 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 164 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 Oakland County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Oakland 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 held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so the same license that let them take on a furnace install last month is what covers your air conditioner repair today. Michigan's Board of Mechanical Rules is the body that tests and records these contractors, which means there's a state record behind the name on your invoice.
For a repair that involves refrigerant, which most air conditioner repairs do, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification. That's federal, not something Michigan issues, and it applies whether the work is in Oakland County or anywhere else in the country. Between the two, one tells you the state has checked out the contractor's business, the other tells you the person handling the refrigerant lines is qualified to do it without venting anything they shouldn't.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can cause the coil itself to ice up. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common reason, and that one needs a licensed contractor to find and fix. Check the filter first and change it if it is dirty. If the air is still warm after that, the system needs a diagnosis, not another part swapped in blind.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time the drain line is clogged and the condensate has nowhere to go but out of the pan or down through the ceiling. Algae and dirt build up in that line over a cooling season and block it. A dirty filter can also cause the coil to ice over, and the water shows up when the ice melts. Either way, a contractor can clear the line or find what is actually blocking it.
- 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 that it has batteries if it uses them. If that is not it, check the breaker for the outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. Past that, the problem is likely electrical or in the compressor itself, and that calls for a licensed contractor to test it.