AC Maintenance in Gallup, NM
Air conditioners here run from July through August, so June is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers McKinley County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, and a lot of wind in between
Your air conditioner only has to carry Gallup through July and August, with afternoons averaging 85°F. That is a short run compared to a lot of the country, but it means the unit sits idle most of the year and then gets asked to work right when it matters most.
McKinley County has seen 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years, far more than hail. Wind carries dust and grit into the outdoor unit and across the coil, and a coil caked with that grit cannot shed heat the way it should. A tune-up before summer checks the coil, the refrigerant charge, and the electrical connections that a season of sitting can loosen, so the two months you need cooling are not the two months you find out something is wrong.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 1 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 64 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in June, before homes here start needing cooling in July.
- 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 it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not the job, so the same license that covers a full system install covers a maintenance visit in McKinley County.
For a maintenance call, the CID license is what stands behind the person working on your air conditioner. If that maintenance includes opening the refrigerant side of the system, checking a charge or a seal, the technician also needs to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same federal rule that applies in every state. That certification exists apart from New Mexico's license and covers only refrigerant handling.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician cleans the condenser coil, checks the refrigerant charge, and tests the capacitor and contactor. They also check the airflow across the indoor coil and inspect the electrical connections for wear. Anyone opening the refrigerant side has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, so this part of the job stays with a licensed contractor.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the weather that makes you run it. In Gallup that means having it checked before July, since cooling season here only runs through August. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it fails on a 85°F afternoon.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because most cooling problems start small and get found during a routine check. A dirty coil or a failing capacitor still lets the system run, just worse, until it doesn't. With only two months of real cooling need here, a single check before summer covers the season.