AC Repair in Dickinson, ND
Air conditioners here run from July through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Stark County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of hard running, with hail and wind to test the unit the rest of the year
Your air conditioner only earns its keep in July and August here, with afternoons averaging 81°F. That short season doesn't spare it. The unit sits idle most of the year, then gets asked to run hard right away when the heat hits, and a compressor or capacitor that was already weak often fails in that first week of real use.
Stark County has also seen 64 hail events and 95 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches. Hail dents and bends the thin fins on the outdoor coil, which chokes off airflow the unit needs to cool properly. Wind drives debris into the cabinet and can knock the unit out of level, which strains the lines running to it. You may notice the air isn't as cold as it used to be, or the outdoor unit is louder than it should be.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 64 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 95 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 Stark County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Stark County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, North Dakota 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.
North Dakota requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state records the contractor, not the job, so the same license covers whatever work they take on for you. Work under $4,000 falls outside that requirement, which matters for a repair like this since many air conditioner repairs come in under that line.
Whether or not this job needs a licensed contractor by that dollar threshold, anyone opening the refrigerant side of your air conditioner has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal rule and it applies no matter what the job costs.
Sources: North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Secretary of State
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter cutting off airflow across the coil, which can cause the coil to ice up and blow warm air until it clears. Low refrigerant from a leak is another common cause, and that's a repair only an EPA-certified technician can legally touch, since it means opening the refrigerant side of the system. A failing compressor can also do this, and that's worth having a contractor check before summer heat pushes the unit harder.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually it's a clogged condensate drain line, where algae and dirt build up and block the water that the coil pulls out of the air. That water backs up and finds another way out, often through the ceiling or around the indoor unit. A dirty filter can also cause this indirectly, by icing the coil, which then melts and overflows the drain pan. A cracked drain pan will do it too, and that part usually needs replacing rather than repairing.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to cool and the temperature is actually below the room temperature, and swap the batteries if it's got a blank or dim screen. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker will keep the whole unit dead. Beyond that, it could be a bad capacitor or a failed contactor, and both are quick checks for a contractor once they're on site.