AC Repair in Concord, NH
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Merrimack County will get in touch.
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Two months of real heat, and a lot of storms in between
Concord only asks an air conditioner to work July and August. Summer afternoons average 79°F, which is not extreme, but the unit still has to catch up fast after sitting idle most of the year. A system that starts strong in July can start slipping by the end of August if something was already worn going in.
The bigger stress here comes from the weather around it. Merrimack County has logged 79 damaging wind events and 21 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil or rock the unit on its pad, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or damage the fins outright. Once those fins are bent, airflow through the coil drops, and the system has to work harder to cool the same air.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 79 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 Merrimack County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Merrimack County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New Hampshire 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.
New Hampshire has no state license for HVAC contractors.
There is no state license or registration behind that work, and no state record of who is doing it. New Hampshire leaves HVAC contractors unlicensed, so nothing here has tested this contractor or put their name on file.
What does apply is federal. Repairing an air conditioner means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and any technician who does that anywhere in the country has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is not a state license and it does not cover workmanship, but it is the one credential the job requires no matter where you live.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- 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 freeze the coil and leave you with warm air. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that's not something to top off yourself since it takes an EPA-certified technician to open that side of the system legally. If the filter looks clean and the air is still warm, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the coil itself.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the condensate drain line is clogged, and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the coil has frozen and is now melting, often because airflow is restricted by a dirty filter. Either way, shut the system off so the water damage doesn't spread, since a contractor will need to clear the line or check the coil.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and below the room temperature, and that its batteries aren't dead. If the thermostat looks fine, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will keep the system from starting at all. If the breaker keeps tripping when you reset it, stop resetting it and have a contractor look at it, since that usually points to an electrical problem in the unit itself.