AC Repair in Portsmouth, NH
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Rockingham County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then long stretches of quiet
Your air conditioner in Portsmouth only earns its keep in July and August, when afternoons average 80°F. It sits idle most of the year, then gets asked to run hard for two months straight. That kind of stop and start use is hard on a capacitor or a contactor that has sat unused, and those are often the parts that fail on the first genuinely hot day.
Rockingham County has also seen 103 damaging wind events and 29 hail events over the past ten years, one dropping hail 1.75 inches across. Wind can rock an outdoor unit on its pad or bend the fins on the coil, and hail that size can dent the cabinet or the coil fins enough to slow airflow. If your air conditioner is blowing weak or warm air right after a storm, that is worth a look.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 29 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 103 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 Rockingham County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Rockingham 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 record to check on a contractor doing this work in Rockingham County. No license, no registration, nothing filed with New Hampshire that says who is qualified or who has a history of complaints. The rule that applies to this job comes from somewhere else entirely.
Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, anywhere in the country, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal requirement tied to handling refrigerant, not a state credential, and it says nothing about the rest of the work. It is the one thing that has to be true of whoever touches your system's refrigerant lines in New Hampshire.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can cause the coil to ice up and send warm air through the vents. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and only a technician holding EPA Section 608 certification can legally check the charge and repair a leak. A failing capacitor or a compressor that will not engage can also leave you with a fan running but no cold air. Start by checking the filter, then have a contractor look at the refrigerant charge and electrical components if that does not fix it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, so water backs up and spills out instead of draining away. It can also mean the coil has iced over, most often from a dirty filter or low airflow, and the ice is now melting faster than the drain pan can handle it. A cracked drain pan or a disconnected drain line will cause the same kind of leak. Turn the system off until a contractor clears the line or replaces the pan, since running it with an ice buildup or a blocked drain can lead to more damage.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check your thermostat first, since dead batteries or a setting that got bumped will stop the system from starting at all. A tripped breaker or a blown fuse at the outdoor unit is the next most common cause. If power is reaching the unit and it still will not start, the capacitor or a safety switch may be preventing it, and that calls for a contractor to test the electrical components directly. New Hampshire does not license HVAC contractors, so ask about the technician's training and experience before you hire someone for this kind of repair.