AC Repair in Norman, OK
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Cleveland County will get in touch.
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Five months of Norman summer heat wears an AC down fast
From May through September your air conditioner is working most days, and on a lot of those afternoons it is pushing against 92°F. That kind of stretch keeps the compressor running longer and more often than it would where summers are shorter or milder. The parts that start and cool the system carry that load season after season.
Cleveland County also sees hail and wind most years. Ten years of records show 267 hail events and 163 damaging wind events, with hail up to 3.41 inches. Outdoor units sit exposed to that, and the coil fins and fan can take a hit that shows up as bent fins, weak airflow, or a fan blade knocking against the housing. If your AC is blowing warm, cycling more than it used to, or making a noise that was not there before, that combination of heat and storms is usually the reason.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 267 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 163 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $50 a year off cooling for a typical Cleveland County home.
Estimates for a typical Cleveland County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Oklahoma 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.
Oklahoma requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Board issues that license after testing the contractor, and it keeps a record of who holds one. It is tied to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers this repair and every other HVAC job they take on in Oklahoma.
For an air conditioner repair, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, which most cooling repairs do, the technician also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That one comes from the federal government and applies in every state, on top of whatever Oklahoma requires.
Source: Oklahoma State Legislature
- 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 the air coming through the vents turns weak or warm. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that takes a licensed technician to fix, since federal law requires EPA Section 608 certification to open the refrigerant side of any system. If the outdoor unit is running but the air inside is not cold, start with the filter before assuming anything more serious.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools, and that water is supposed to drain outside through a small line. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block it, so the water backs up and drips inside instead. A dirty filter can also cause this indirectly, by freezing the coil and then flooding the drain pan when it thaws.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting knocked off cool will stop the system before it ever starts. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker. Norman has seen 163 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a power interruption during a storm can trip a breaker without you noticing it happened. If the breaker is fine and the unit still will not start, the problem is likely in the electrical components inside the outdoor unit, and that calls for a licensed contractor to diagnose.