AC Maintenance in Albuquerque, NM
Air conditioners here run from June through August, so May is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Bernalillo County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of hard running, then months of standing still
Your air conditioner in Bernalillo County only has to work June through August, when afternoons average 88°F. For those three months the compressor runs long hours to keep the house cool. The rest of the year it sits outside, doing nothing. A tune-up before summer checks whether it is ready for that stretch, catching a refrigerant level that has drifted low, a capacitor that is weakening, or a condenser coil coated in dust from sitting idle.
Bernalillo County has also logged 63 hail events and 155 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 1.75 inches. Hail that size can bend the thin fins on an outdoor coil, and wind can loosen panels or leave debris around the unit. A service visit is when that kind of damage gets found, before the unit has to run flat out in the heat.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 63 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 155 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in May, before homes here start needing cooling in June.
- 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.
New Mexico requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Division tests contractors before they get that license, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the same license covers this maintenance visit and the next one, whatever the work turns out to be.
For an air conditioner, maintenance often means opening the refrigerant side of the system, checking the charge or the coil. Any technician who does that, in New Mexico or anywhere else, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification on top of the state license. The state license says the contractor was tested and is on record. The federal certification says the person handling refrigerant was trained to do it without venting it into the air.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant level, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain can back up and shut the system down. They also check the thermostat and the filter, and look at electrical connections for wear. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, so this isn't a job for someone without that credential.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, in spring before the heat sets in. Around here that means cooling only runs June through August, so a spring check catches problems before three months of near-90 afternoons put real strain on the system. A dirty coil or a low refrigerant charge makes the unit work harder in that stretch, and that's when a small problem turns into a breakdown.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, mainly because it catches small problems while they're still small. A worn capacitor or a dirty coil doesn't announce itself until the system stops cooling on a hot afternoon, and summers here average 88°F, so a breakdown then is not a small thing. The outdoor unit also sits exposed to whatever the weather brings, and this area has seen hail and damaging wind over the years, so a yearly check is a chance to catch storm damage before it becomes a bigger repair.