AC Repair in Thermopolis, WY
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hot Springs County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of hard running, then hail and wind the rest of the year
Your air conditioner in Hot Springs County only works July and August, with afternoons averaging 80°F. It sits idle the other ten months, then has to start right up under load when the heat comes.
The bigger risk here is what happens outside while it sits. The area has logged 14 hail events and 68 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.25 inches. Hail that size can bend the thin aluminum fins on your outdoor coil, and high wind can throw debris into the unit or knock it out of level. Either one restricts airflow across the coil, and you notice it as weaker cooling or a system that runs longer than it used to.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 14 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 68 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 Hot Springs County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Hot Springs 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 airflow across the coil has dropped too low, and the coil ices up instead of cooling. It can also mean the refrigerant charge is low, which usually points to a leak somewhere in the system rather than something that fixes itself. Check the filter first since that is the one thing you can rule out yourself. If it's clean and the air still isn't cold, a contractor needs to check the charge and the coil.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line that carries condensation away from the coil is clogged, and water is backing up and finding another way out. This line grows algae and dirt over time just like a shower drain does. A frozen coil that then melts all at once will cause the same kind of puddle, so if you saw ice on the lines earlier, that's likely the cause instead. Either way the water itself won't stop until the cause is cleared.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat batteries and the breaker before assuming the worst. A tripped breaker is common after the kind of wind and hail this area sees, since a power surge during a storm can knock it out even if nothing else was damaged. If the breaker holds and the thermostat has power but the system still won't start, the problem is likely in the outdoor unit or the control board, and that needs a contractor to check.