Richmond-area summers bring long stretches in the 90s with heavy humidity, and that combination makes an air conditioner work harder than almost anywhere else in the state. The system has to cool the air and pull moisture out of it at the same time, often for twelve hours a day.
Most of the breakdowns we see in July started months earlier: a capacitor losing strength, a dirty condenser coil trapping heat, a condensate drain slowly clogging, or a refrigerant charge that's a little low. None of those stop the system in April. All of them can stop it on the hottest afternoon of the year.
A spring tune-up catches those problems while they're small and inexpensive. We clean the coils, flush the drain, test the electrical components, check the refrigerant charge, and replace the filter. A clean, correctly charged system also uses less electricity, which shows up on every summer power bill.
The best time to schedule is March through May, before the first heat wave fills everyone's calendar. E & J Mechanical is open 7 AM to 9 PM every day, and first-time customers save 5% on their first service.