AC Maintenance in Billings, MT
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 Yellowstone County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of hard running, then months of storms
Your air conditioner in Yellowstone County only really works July and August, and it has to work hard those two months. Summer afternoons average 83°F, so the compressor runs long hours in a short stretch instead of easing into the season. A unit that sits idle most of the year and then gets pushed hard is exactly the kind that shows a weak capacitor or a low refrigerant charge the first hot week.
The other ten months bring their own wear. This county has logged 167 hail events and 154 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches. Hail dents fins and bends the coil, wind throws debris into the cabinet, and none of that announces itself until the compressor is straining to keep up in July. A tune-up before the season starts is when a contractor can find the bent fin or the cracked capacitor while it is still an easy fix.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 167 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 154 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.
Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Montana licenses HVAC contractors through the Department of Labor and Industry. The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so the same license covers this visit and whatever else that contractor does in a home. Work under $2,500 does not need a licensed contractor at all. A maintenance visit like this one can fall under that line depending on what it costs.
If the technician opens the refrigerant side of the air conditioner, checking the charge or fixing a leak, that work needs EPA Section 608 certification. That rule holds in every state, not just Montana. It applies to the person handling the refrigerant, separate from whatever license or exemption covers the rest of the job.
Source: Montana Legislature
- What does AC maintenance include?
- A technician checks refrigerant charge, cleans the condenser coil, and tests the capacitor and contactor in the outdoor unit. Indoors, they check airflow across the evaporator coil and confirm the filter is doing its job. They also check the thermostat is calling for cooling correctly and look over the electrical connections, since a loose one is a common cause of failure. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, so that part of the job always goes through a certified technician.
- How often does an air conditioner need maintenance?
- Once a year, before the weather turns warm, is enough for most systems. Here, that means getting it done before July, since cooling season runs July through August. A yearly check catches a weak capacitor or a dirty coil before it causes a breakdown during the two months a year the system actually has to work.
- Is AC maintenance worth it?
- Yes, because a system that only runs two months a year still needs its parts checked before it's asked to work. A capacitor or coil that failed unnoticed over the ten months the system sat idle will only show itself once the heat arrives. Summer afternoons here average 83°F, so there isn't much room for a system that isn't running right. Maintenance also gives a contractor a chance to spot hail damage to the outdoor unit's fins or cabinet before it turns into a bigger problem, which matters in an area that's seen 167 hail events over the last ten years.