AC Repair in Salt Lake City, UT
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Salt Lake County will get in touch.
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Three months of hard running, and hail on top of it
Salt Lake County only asks for cooling from June through August, but those three months work an air conditioner hard. Afternoons average 83°F, and the unit outside runs long hours to keep up. That kind of steady demand wears on the compressor and the fan motor, the parts that carry the load the whole time the system runs.
The outdoor unit also sits through Salt Lake County weather when it isn't running. Ten years of records show 29 hail events here, with hailstones up to 1.75 inches, and 194 damaging wind events. Hail dents the thin aluminum fins on the condenser coil, and a bent or blocked coil can't shed heat the way it should. That shows up as an air conditioner that runs and runs but never quite cools the house.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 29 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 194 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 Salt Lake County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Salt Lake County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Utah 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.
Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued per job, so it covers the business doing the work rather than this specific repair. Utah also sets a threshold at $7,000. Work under that amount does not require a licensed contractor, so for many air conditioner repairs the state does not require a license at all.
An air conditioner repair almost always means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that part of the job falls under federal rule no matter what the invoice comes to. Any technician working on the refrigerant lines or the coil must hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is separate from the Utah license and it applies whether or not this particular job crosses the $7,000 line.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is low refrigerant from a leak in the coil or lines. A dirty air filter or a coil caked with dust can also block the airflow that carries cold air into your house. Sometimes the compressor itself has failed, and it will run without cooling at all. Only a technician with EPA 608 certification can legally open the refrigerant side to check the charge, so this is not a job to diagnose by guesswork.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged, so the water that normally drips outside backs up and spills inside. A dirty filter can cause this too, since it lets the evaporator coil ice over, then melt and overflow the drain pan. If the pan itself is cracked or rusted, water will leak no matter how clear the drain line is. Turn off the system if you see water pooling near it, since running it longer can mean more damage.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power and is set to cool below the room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, a tripped breaker or a blown fuse at the outdoor unit is the next likely cause, especially after a storm. Salt Lake City has seen 194 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a power flicker during one of these can trip a breaker without you noticing. If the breaker is fine and the unit still won't start, the capacitor or the compressor itself may have failed, and that needs a technician to confirm.