AC Repair in Lebanon, NH
If your air conditioner quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Grafton County will get in touch.
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Cooling barely runs here, but storms still get to it
Summer afternoons in Lebanon average 76°F, mild enough that a lot of homes barely lean on the air conditioner. That works in the unit's favor. Fewer hours running means less wear on the compressor and the fan motor.
The bigger risk sits outside, in the weather itself. Grafton County saw 133 damaging wind events and 30 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.5 inches. Wind can bend the thin fins on the outdoor coil or knock debris into the cabinet, and hail that size can dent the coil or the fan housing. If your AC is making noise it didn't used to, or the airflow feels weaker than before, a look at the outdoor unit after the last storm is a good place to start.
- 76°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 30 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 133 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 Grafton County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Grafton 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 license or registration behind an HVAC contractor working in Grafton County. The state does not test them, does not record them, and keeps no file on who is doing this work or how well. Whatever confidence you have going in comes from the contractor's own reputation and history, not from anything New Hampshire checked first.
For an air conditioner repair, the protection that does exist is federal, not state. Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your system, to recover it, recharge it, or fix a leak, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That's a federal requirement in every state, including this one, and it applies regardless of what New Hampshire does or doesn't track.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often it's low refrigerant from a leak, or a dirty filter choking airflow across the coil. A blocked filter starves the evaporator coil of air, and the coil can ice over so the air coming out feels weak and warm instead of cold. It can also be a failing compressor, which is the part that actually cools the refrigerant. Only a technician with EPA Section 608 certification can legally open the refrigerant side to check for a leak or low charge, so that part of the diagnosis has to be done in person.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. Algae and dust build up in that line over time and block it. It can also mean the evaporator coil has frozen and is now melting, which happens when airflow is restricted by a dirty filter. Either way the fix starts with clearing the drain and finding why water isn't leaving the way it should.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first. Make sure it's set to cool and the batteries aren't dead, since a blank or unresponsive display often means power to the system, not the unit itself. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, 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 unit itself and needs a technician to trace it.