AC Repair in Oak Ridge, TN
Air conditioners here run from May through September. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Anderson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Oak Ridge summer heat adds up
Your air conditioner runs May through September here, with afternoons averaging 85°F. That is five straight months where the compressor cycles on and off most of the day to keep the house cool. Every one of those cycles adds wear to the same parts, and a unit that has been struggling to keep up has less left to give as the season wears on.
Anderson County has also logged 42 damaging wind events and 8 hail storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.25 inches. The outdoor unit sits through all of it, and a bent fin or a cracked fan blade from a storm can cut its airflow well before you notice the house isn't cooling right.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 42 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $40 a year off cooling for a typical Anderson County home.
Estimates for a typical Anderson County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Tennessee 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.
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter cutting off airflow across the coil, which can cause the coil to ice up. A refrigerant leak is another common cause, and it will not fix itself since the system does not use up refrigerant over time. Check the filter first. If it is clean and the air is still warm, a contractor will need to check refrigerant levels and pressures.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around the unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, so water is backing up and finding another way out. Algae and dust build up inside that line over time and block it. A dirty filter can also cause the coil to freeze, and the water shows up when it thaws. Either way it points to something a contractor needs to clear or repair, since the leak will keep coming back on its own.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker panel, since a tripped breaker or dead batteries are the simplest explanations. If those check out, the outdoor unit's disconnect switch or a tripped safety switch on the indoor equipment could be stopping it. If a storm has come through recently, it is worth checking the outdoor unit for anything knocked loose or damaged. A contractor can trace the electrical fault if the basics don't turn it back on.