AC Repair in New Haven, CT
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers New Haven will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Three months of cooling, and the strain shows fast
New Haven only asks for cooling from June through August, three months a year. The system sits unused the rest of the time, then has to start up and run hard right away, with summer afternoons averaging 81°F.
A unit that has been idle for months often shows its weak points as soon as it starts. A capacitor can fail in the first hot week. Refrigerant that was a little low when the system shut off in the fall leaves it struggling once it has to run every day. You notice it as warm air from the vents, a system that runs longer than it should, or a house that never quite cools down.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $30 a year off cooling for a typical New Haven home.
Estimates for a typical New Haven home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Connecticut 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.
Connecticut requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to the job, so it does not expire the moment the work order is written. Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection is the body that tested this contractor and keeps the record on file, and that record covers the business doing the work, not this specific repair.
Because this job is an air conditioner repair, whoever opens the refrigerant lines also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement in every state and separate from the Connecticut license. The license tells you the contractor is on record with the state. The certification tells you the person handling refrigerant was trained to do it without venting it into the air or mishandling the pressure it's under.
Sources: Connecticut General Assembly · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most of the time the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow. When a filter chokes down, the coil behind it can ice over, and you end up with air that's weak or warm instead of cold. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that one needs a contractor's gauges to confirm. If your air is only warm and not weak, check the thermostat setting first, since it's the simplest thing to rule out.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The condensate drain line is probably clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air all summer and that water is supposed to run out through this line, but algae and dirt build up inside it over time and block the path. When that happens, the water backs up and drips out wherever it can, often near the indoor unit. A dirty filter can cause the same problem indirectly, by icing the coil until it melts and overwhelms the drain pan.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is below the room temperature, and put in fresh batteries if it uses them. If that's not it, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the outdoor unit without any other sign. Beyond that, it could be a bad capacitor or a wiring issue, and those need a licensed contractor to open the unit and test them.