AC Repair in Buffalo, WY
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Johnson County will get in touch.
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It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, and a lot of storms in between
Johnson County only asks an air conditioner to work hard for about two months, July and August, when afternoons average 80°F. That short season matters. A system that sits idle most of the year still needs to start up clean when the heat arrives, and a unit that struggled last summer will struggle again the moment it gets warm.
The bigger wear here comes from the weather around it. Ten years of storm records show 49 hail events and 110 damaging wind events in the county, with hail up to 2.75 inches. Hail dents and cracks the condenser fins outside, and wind-driven debris can bend them or foul the fan. Once those fins are damaged, the unit can't shed heat the way it should, and homeowners notice the air coming from the vents isn't as cold as it used to be.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 49 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 110 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 Johnson County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Johnson County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Wyoming 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.
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged enough that air can't move through it, so the coil behind it ices up and stops cooling. It can also mean the system is low on refrigerant, which points to a leak rather than normal use, since these systems don't consume refrigerant over time. A dirty outdoor unit will cause the same thing, so check that the coil outside isn't covered in grass clippings or leaves. If the filter and outdoor coil are both clear and it's still blowing warm, a contractor needs to check the refrigerant charge.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Condensate is supposed to drain out through a small line, and when that line clogs with algae or dirt the water backs up and finds another way out. That's the most common cause. It can also mean the coil has iced over and is now melting, which usually traces back to poor airflow from a dirty filter. If the drain pan itself has rusted through after years of use, water will leak no matter how clear the line is, and that pan needs replacing.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting knocked to off will stop the system before it starts. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker cuts power to the whole unit. With 110 damaging wind events here over the past ten years, a breaker tripped by a power blip is common enough to check before anything else. If power is reaching the unit and it still won't start, the problem is likely inside the unit and needs a contractor to look at it.