AC Repair in Woodbury, MN
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Washington County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of heat, then it sits idle
Your air conditioner in Woodbury only earns its keep from June through August. Summer afternoons average 80°F, so the compressor runs hard for a short stretch and then sits unused most of the year. That on and off pattern, with long idle stretches between, is when parts corrode and seals dry out.
Washington County has logged 77 hail events and 26 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hailstones up to 2 inches. Hail that size can dent or bend the thin aluminum fins on your outdoor unit, and high winds can rock the unit on its pad or throw debris into it. If your AC is blowing weak or not cooling right after a storm, the outdoor coil is the first place to look.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 77 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 26 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 Washington County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Washington 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 test or record HVAC contractors at the state level, and Washington County does not fill that gap either. There is no license and no registration to check, because the state has not set one up. That does not mean no rule applies to this repair, only that the rule does not come from a state contractor board.
Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of an air conditioner, which most repairs require, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal rule and it applies in every state, Minnesota included. It is not a contractor license and it does not cover the workmanship of the repair, only the handling of the refrigerant itself. For this job, that federal certification is the one credential Minnesota law actually puts behind the person doing the work.
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 level is low from a leak somewhere in the line. A dirty outdoor coil can do it too, since it can't shed heat if it's covered in dirt and cottonwood. Check the filter first. If it's clean and you're still getting warm air, the system needs a technician who holds EPA 608 certification to open the refrigerant side and find the leak.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line is probably clogged. Your AC pulls moisture out of the air as it cools it, and that water is supposed to run out through a condensate drain. When that line gets blocked with algae or debris, the water backs up and finds its way out somewhere else, usually near the indoor unit. A frozen coil that's now thawing will do the same thing, so if the system was running poorly before it started leaking, that's likely the cause.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to cool and the temperature is below the room temperature, and check the batteries if it has a screen that looks dim. If that's not it, check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will kill power to the outdoor unit. Woodbury sees its share of summer wind and hail, and either one can trip a breaker or damage the outdoor unit enough to shut it down. If the breaker keeps tripping when you reset it, stop and call someone. That's a sign of an electrical problem, not something to keep resetting.