AC Repair in Stillwater, OK
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Payne County will get in touch.
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Five months of Oklahoma heat wears on your AC
Stillwater asks a lot of an air conditioner from May through September. Afternoons averaging 92°F mean the system runs long hours, day after day, to keep up. That kind of stretch puts real strain on the compressor and the fan motor, the parts that carry the load every time the unit cycles on.
Payne County also sees its share of rough weather. Ten years of storm records show 72 hail events and 83 damaging wind events, with hail up to 2.75 inches. Hail that size can bend or crack the thin fins on your outdoor unit's coil, and high wind can knock loose the panels and wiring around it. If your AC is struggling or short-cycling after a storm rolls through, that is often why.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 72 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 83 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 Payne County home.
Estimates for a typical Payne 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 passes an exam and puts them on record with the state. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so a licensed contractor working on your air conditioner is the same person accountable for any other job they take on.
An air conditioner repair usually means someone is working on the refrigerant side of the system, and federal law requires EPA Section 608 certification for that, on top of the state license. Between the two, the person at your house has been tested by the state and cleared by the federal government to handle the refrigerant itself.
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, which can cause it to freeze up and stop cooling. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that's a repair only a licensed contractor can make since it means opening the refrigerant side of the system. A failing compressor will also leave you with warm air coming through the vents. Check the filter first, and if it's clean, the system needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the evaporator coil has frozen and is now melting and dripping, often because of a dirty filter or low airflow. Either way, water pooling near your indoor unit is worth having looked at before it damages the floor or the unit itself.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is below the room temperature, and that it has power or fresh batteries if it runs on them. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will shut the whole system down. If power is reaching the unit and it still won't start, the problem is likely inside the system and needs a licensed contractor to diagnose.