AC Repair in Boise City, ID
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Ada County will get in touch.
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Three months of heat, and hail in between
Boise City only asks a lot of your air conditioner for about three months, June through August. But those afternoons average 88°F, and the unit has to run hard and often to keep up. That kind of steady load wears on the compressor and the run capacitor, the parts that carry the strain of starting and keeping the system going hour after hour.
Ada County has also seen its share of hail and wind, seven hail events and 41 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hailstones up to 1.5 inches. That kind of weather can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or knock the cabinet around, and once the coil is damaged, the system has to work even harder to cool the same air.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 7 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 41 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 Ada County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Ada County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Idaho 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.
Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The HVAC Board tests contractors before they get that license and keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it's the same license covering your repair as covers the next one they do.
For a repair on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. Anyone who opens the refrigerant side of it, which most repairs require, also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that part is federal and applies the same way in every state.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, which can lead to ice forming on it. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common reason, and that repair has to be done by someone with EPA Section 608 certification since it means opening the refrigerant side of the system. A failing compressor will also leave you with air moving but no cooling. Check the filter first, then have a licensed contractor check refrigerant charge and the compressor if the filter isn't the problem.
- 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. It can also mean the drain pan has rusted through or cracked, especially in an older system. A frozen coil that then thaws will also dump more water than the pan and drain can handle at once. A contractor can clear the line or replace the pan depending on what they find.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it has power and is set to cool below room temperature. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker is a common reason a system won't start at all. Summer afternoons here average 88°F, and that kind of heat load means a system that won't start needs attention quickly. If power and the thermostat both check out, the issue is likely inside the unit itself, and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it.