AC Repair in Rochester, MN
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Olmsted County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months to do all the work
Your air conditioner in Olmsted County only gets June through August to run, and it has to work through summer afternoons averaging 79°F. That is a short season with steady demand, and the unit does not get much of a break to coast.
The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it, including the storms. Olmsted County has logged 91 hail events and 92 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2 inches. Hail dents the fins on the outdoor coil, and wind can drive debris into the cabinet or knock it out of level. If your AC is putting out weak airflow or making a new noise after a storm, the coil or the fan is where to look first.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 91 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 92 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in Olmsted County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Olmsted County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Minnesota 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.
Minnesota has no state license for HVAC contractors.
Minnesota does not keep a state list of HVAC contractors, tested or otherwise, so there is no license number to check and no state board that recorded this contractor's work before today. There is no registration either, so nothing about this contractor is on file anywhere in the state.
For an air conditioner repair, the protection that does exist is federal. Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your system must hold EPA Section 608 certification, in Minnesota and in every other state. That certification is what says this person is trained to handle refrigerant. It is not a license, because Minnesota does not issue one.
Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant charge is low from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty outdoor coil can do the same thing by not letting the unit shed heat. If air is moving but it is not cold, shut the system off so the coil does not ice over, and have a contractor check the charge. Only someone with EPA Section 608 certification is allowed to open the refrigerant side, so this is not a repair to attempt yourself.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Water around your indoor unit usually means the condensate drain line is clogged or the drain pan has rusted through. Algae and dirt build up in that line over the summer and block it, so the water backs up and finds another way out. It can also mean the coil is icing over during the day and then melting, which points to low airflow or low refrigerant. A contractor can clear the line or find where the pan is failing.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat batteries and the breaker for the outdoor unit, since both are common and easy to check yourself. If those are fine, the capacitor that starts the compressor may have failed, which is common after a summer of hard starts in the heat. Rochester's summer storms are also worth ruling out. With 92 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, a tripped breaker or a knocked loose wire from a storm is a real possibility. Minnesota does not license HVAC contractors, so ask whoever comes out about their training and experience before they start.