AC Repair in St. Paul, MN
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Ramsey County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of hard running, then hail
Your air conditioner in Ramsey County works three months a year, June through August. On an 80°F afternoon it runs long stretches to hold the house down, and a capacitor or compressor that was already weak tends to show it then, usually as a unit that hums but the air stays warm, or one that shuts off on its own after running a while.
The outdoor unit also takes what the weather gives it. Ramsey County has logged 64 hail events and 42 damaging wind events over the last ten years, with hail up to 3 inches recorded. Hail that size bends the thin aluminum fins on the outdoor coil, and wind throws branches and grit into the cabinet. A coil with bent fins can't shed heat the way it should, so the air coming out of your vents runs warmer even though the system is running.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 64 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 42 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 Ramsey County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Ramsey 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 put HVAC contractors through a state licensing process, and it does not register them either. There is no state exam behind the person coming to your house, and no state list to check them against. Whatever confidence you have in the contractor comes from the company itself, not from a state record.
What does apply is federal. Your air conditioner runs on refrigerant, and any technician who opens that side of the system to repair it has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal requirement, not a state one, and it applies whether the tech is in Ramsey County or anywhere else in the country. It covers the handling of refrigerant itself, not the rest of the repair.
Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first. A low refrigerant charge from a leak will also do this, and so will a frozen evaporator coil, which often happens after airflow has been restricted for a while. If the outdoor unit is not running at all, the problem is more likely electrical than a cooling problem. Only a licensed technician with EPA Section 608 certification can legally open the refrigerant side to check the charge.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this means the condensate drain line is clogged and water is backing up instead of draining outside. Algae and dust build up in that line over a cooling season and block it. A frozen evaporator coil can also cause this, since it drips water as it thaws. If the drain pan itself has rusted through, the leak will keep coming back until the pan is replaced.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it is set to cool, the batteries are good if it uses them, and the temperature is actually set below room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker for the outdoor unit, since a tripped breaker will keep the whole system dead. Summer afternoons here average 80°F, and a system that won't start during that kind of heat is worth getting looked at quickly.