AC Repair in Poteau, OK
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Le Flore County will get in touch.
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Five months of heat, and storms that hit the unit outside
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That kind of heat keeps the compressor working long hours to keep up, and the strain shows up first in the capacitor that helps start it or in the compressor itself. When one of those parts gives out, the unit either won't start or runs without cooling the house.
Le Flore County has also logged 94 hail events and 96 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches. That kind of storm bends the fins on your outdoor unit and can damage the fan blade or the coil behind them. After a bad storm, weak airflow or a unit that runs but doesn't cool like it should is often the first sign something outside got hit.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 94 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 96 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 Le Flore County home.
Estimates for a typical Le Flore 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 the contractor is tested, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it does not expire or need renewing between one repair and the next.
For an air conditioner repair, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. If the repair opens the refrigerant side of the system, whoever does that part also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is separate from the state license and required for that work in every state.
Source: Oklahoma State Legislature
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the coil is frozen or the refrigerant is low. Check your filter first. A clogged one starves the coil of airflow and ice builds up on it, so the air coming through the vents feels warm even though the system is running. If the filter is clean, the problem is more likely a refrigerant leak, and that needs a licensed contractor to open the system and fix it, since only someone with EPA Section 608 certification is allowed to handle refrigerant.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air all summer, and that water is supposed to run out through a drain line to the outside. Algae and dirt build up in that line over a season of running five months straight here, and once it's blocked the water backs up and drips inside instead. A frozen coil that's thawing out can also leave a puddle, so if the air wasn't cold beforehand, that's likely the cause instead.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat and your breaker. Check that the thermostat is set to cool and the temperature is actually below room temperature, then check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker is one of the more common reasons a unit won't start. If both of those check out, the capacitor or the contactor may have failed, and that's a repair for a licensed contractor. Oklahoma requires anyone doing this work to hold a state HVAC license.