AC Repair in Emmett, ID
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Gem County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of work, then months of sitting still
Your air conditioner in Emmett only has to earn its keep in July and August. Summer afternoons averaging 85°F still push it to run long stretches during those two months, all the load landing in a short stretch of the year.
Wind is the bigger risk here. Gem County has logged 12 damaging wind events over the past ten years, enough to rattle an outdoor unit, bend a fan blade, or knock debris into the condenser coil. When that happens, you'll notice the air isn't as cold as it should be, or the outside unit is making a noise it didn't make before.
- 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
- 12 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 Gem County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Gem 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.
Idaho licenses HVAC contractors through the state's HVAC Board. The license is issued to the contractor, not to each job, so the same license covers the company whether they're installing a system or coming out for a repair like this one.
For this repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your air conditioner. If the work means opening the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal requirement that applies in every state.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first. A low refrigerant charge from a leak will also do it, and so will a failing compressor or a blower motor that is not moving enough air across the coil. Idaho requires anyone who opens the refrigerant side of your system to hold EPA 608 certification, so a low charge is not something to top off yourself. A licensed contractor can pin down which of these it is.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most of the time this is a clogged condensate drain line, and algae or dust can block it over a summer of running. When the line backs up, water has nowhere to go but out of the pan or down through your ceiling if the unit sits in an attic. A frozen evaporator coil that then thaws will also flood the pan faster than the drain can clear it. Either way the fix means clearing the line or finding why the coil froze, and a licensed HVAC contractor can do both.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with your thermostat batteries and your breaker panel, since a dead battery or a tripped breaker are the two most common reasons and both are easy to check yourself. If the batteries are fine and the breaker hasn't tripped, the problem is likely in the capacitor, the contactor, or the thermostat wiring itself. With 12 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, a tripped breaker after a storm is worth ruling out before anything else. A licensed HVAC contractor can test the electrical side safely if the simple checks do not turn anything up.