AC Maintenance in Burlington, IA
Air conditioners here run from June through September, so May is the time for a tune-up. Tell us about your system, and a licensed contractor who covers Des Moines County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of hard work in the heat
Your air conditioner in Burlington only runs June through September, but summer afternoons averaging 84°F keep it working hard through all four of those months. That kind of stretch, with the unit cycling on and on through the heat, puts real wear on the parts inside it.
The area has also logged 88 damaging wind events and 34 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches recorded. Hail that size can dent a cabinet or bend the fins on the outdoor coil, and bent fins block airflow the unit needs to cool properly. A tune-up checks the coil and fins for that kind of damage, along with the refrigerant charge and electrical connections, so a problem you can't see from the yard gets found before it leaves you without cooling.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 34 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 88 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Book your AC tune-up in May, before homes here start needing cooling in June.
- Jan
- Feb
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- Apr
- May
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- Dec
A tune-up checks the refrigerant charge, cleans the coils, tests the capacitor and tightens the electrical connections.
Iowa requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board issues that license, and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job they do. The state has tested that contractor and keeps a record of them. That record does not reset with every maintenance visit or every address.
For a maintenance call on your air conditioner, that license is what stands behind whoever shows up. If the work involves opening the refrigerant side of the system, checking charge or fixing a leak, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement in every state and separate from Iowa's license. Between the two, this is one of the more accountable jobs a homeowner in Iowa can hire out.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician cleans the condenser coil, checks the refrigerant charge, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Inside, they check the evaporator coil and the condensate drain, since a clogged drain is one of the most common causes of a shutdown in summer. They also check the thermostat and airflow across the coil, and replace the filter if it needs it. Anyone touching the refrigerant side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, since that is federal law.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, in spring before the cooling season starts. Homes here only run the air conditioner from June through September, so a checkup before June catches a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge before the first hot week. A unit that sits unused most of the year benefits from that once-over before it has to work.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, especially with summer afternoons here averaging 84°F, when a struggling unit has no slow season to hide in. A yearly checkup finds a dirty coil or a failing capacitor while it is still a simple fix, rather than after it forces a breakdown during the four months a year the system has to run.