AC Maintenance in Winnemucca, NV
Air conditioners here run from July through August, so June is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Humboldt County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of work after months of standing still
Your air conditioner in Winnemucca only earns its keep in July and August, when afternoons average 85°F. The rest of the year it sits idle. A tune-up before summer checks that it starts clean after sitting that long, rather than finding out on the first hot afternoon that something seized up or wore through while it sat.
Humboldt County has also logged 152 damaging wind events and 5 hail events over the past ten years, with one hailstone recorded at 1.5 inches. Wind can drive debris into the outdoor unit, and hail can dent the fins on it. Part of a tune-up is looking over that outdoor unit itself, not just what's running inside the house.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 5 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 152 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in June, before homes here start needing cooling in July.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Nevada requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Nevada State Contractors Board licenses HVAC contractors in this state. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single visit, so the same license covers this maintenance call and whatever other HVAC work that contractor takes on.
For a maintenance visit on your air conditioner, the license is what stands behind the person in your home. If the work involves opening the refrigerant side of the system, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement in every state, not something Nevada adds on top.
Sources: Nevada Legislature · Nevada State Contractors Board
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A contractor cleans the condenser coil outside and checks the refrigerant charge, since a system low on refrigerant has to run longer to cool the same house. They test the capacitor and contactor, the parts that get the compressor started and keep it running. They also check the condensate drain for clogs and swap or clean the filter. Anyone working on the refrigerant side has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, so that part of the job only gets done by someone qualified to do it.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year is the usual mark, done before the weather turns hot. Around here that means getting it looked at before July, since your cooling season only runs July through August. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before a 85°F afternoon is the day it decides to quit.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, mainly because it catches small problems while they are still small. A dirty coil or a failing capacitor makes the compressor work harder, and that is what shortens its life. With only two months of real cooling load here, a system that is not maintained is limping through the one stretch of the year it actually has to work.