AC Maintenance in Tallahassee, FL
Air conditioners here run from April through October, so March is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Leon County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Seven months of heat wears on your AC
Your air conditioner runs April through October here, seven months of the year. On afternoons that average 91°F, the compressor is working hard just to keep up, and it doesn't get much of a break once it starts.
That kind of run time adds up on the parts that keep the system cooling. Refrigerant levels drift low, the condenser coil outside collects dirt and grass clippings, and the capacitor that gets the compressor started wears down from cycling on and off all season. A tune-up checks these before one of them leaves you without cooling.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 15 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 473 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in March, before homes here start needing cooling in April.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Florida requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industry Licensing Board tests contractors before it licenses them, and it keeps a record of who holds that license. It covers the contractor, not the individual job, so the same license applies whether the work is a repair, a new install, or a maintenance visit like this one.
For a maintenance visit, that license is what stands behind the person working on your air conditioner. If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the system, checking pressures or handling refrigerant, they also need EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal and applies in every state. Maintenance in Leon County comes with both protections in place, the state license on the contractor and the federal certification on the individual doing refrigerant work.
Sources: Florida Legislature · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks the refrigerant charge and cleans the condenser coil outside, then checks the evaporator coil inside. They test the capacitor and contactor, check the blower motor, and check that the thermostat is calling for cooling correctly. They also check the condensate drain, since a clogged one backs up and can shut the system down or damage a ceiling. Outside, they check the fan blades and clear anything blocking airflow around the unit.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the cooling season starts. Here that means getting it done before April, since your system runs from April through October and summer afternoons average 91 degrees. A unit working that hard for seven months a year needs to start the season with a clean coil and a full refrigerant charge, not catch up once it is already struggling.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially in a place where the system runs seven months a year against summer highs averaging 91 degrees. Regular maintenance catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it causes a breakdown during those months. It also matters here because this area has seen 473 damaging wind events and 15 hail events over the past ten years, and a technician checking the outdoor unit each year will notice bent fins or storm damage before it turns into a bigger problem.