AC Repair in Port St. Lucie, FL
Air conditioners here run from February through December. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers St. Lucie County will get in touch.
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Your air conditioner works almost every month here
Port St. Lucie needs cooling February through December, 11 months a year. Summer afternoons averaging 90°F mean the system is running long once it starts, and that kind of run time wears on the compressor and the capacitor that helps start it. When the capacitor weakens, the outdoor unit hums but the fan does not turn, or the system trips off before the house cools down.
The storms here add another kind of wear. St. Lucie County has had 13 damaging wind events and 21 hail events over the last ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. Wind can knock the outdoor unit's fan blade out of balance or drive debris into the coil. Hail that size can dent the coil fins, and bent fins block the airflow the coil needs to work.
- 11 months
- February through December, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 13 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $80 a year off cooling for a typical St. Lucie County home.
Estimates for a typical St. Lucie County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Florida 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.
Florida requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state tested this contractor before handing out that license, and the Construction Industry Licensing Board keeps a record of who holds one. It's a license on the contractor, not on the job, so the same license covers this repair and whatever else they're licensed to do.
For an air conditioner repair, that state license is what stands behind the work. If the job involves opening the refrigerant side of the system, which most AC repairs do, the technician also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That one's federal, and it applies in every state, Florida included.
Sources: Florida Legislature · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil. When that coil can't breathe, it can freeze up and stop cooling. A low refrigerant charge from a leak causes the same thing, and so does a failing compressor. Check the filter first. If it's clean and the air is still warm, a contractor needs to check the refrigerant charge and the compressor.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time it's a clogged condensate drain line. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air all day, especially with summer highs near 90°F here, and that water has to go somewhere. If the drain line clogs with algae or dirt, the water backs up and finds its way out of the pan instead. A frozen coil that's thawing out will also drip well past when the AC shuts off.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the breaker and the thermostat batteries, since those are the two most common causes and the easiest to check yourself. If the breaker is fine and the thermostat has power but the AC still won't start, the problem is likely in the capacitor, the contactor, or the outdoor unit itself. A tripped float switch from a clogged drain line will also shut the whole system down as a safety measure. If none of that gets it running, a contractor will need to check the electrical components and controls.