Common Heating & Cooling Problems in Pensacola and Why

Heating and cooling systems fail for local reasons. In Pensacola that means a long, hot, humid cooling season, salt air near the water, hurricanes and the power outages and surges that come with them, and a housing stock that runs from 1900s bungalows to brand-new subdivisions. Our team knows why systems fail here, and knowing it helps you catch problems early and decide what you can check yourself. When it is more than a filter or a breaker, our technicians will ensure the repair is completed properly. Call (850) 805-7098 today for a quote.

Heat and humidity load

NOAA's 1991–2020 normals give Pensacola about 2,765 cooling degree days a year against about 1,440 heating degree days. The hot season runs from late May to late September, and the muggy period from mid-April to late October; in July nearly every day is muggy. An air conditioner here runs long hours and also has to pull water from the air. Weak capacitors, marginal refrigerant charges and dirty coils show up first in July and August.

Salt air and corrosion

Near Pensacola Bay, Santa Rosa Sound, Bayou Texar and the beaches, salt spray settles on outdoor units. Trade publications report that salt can corrode an unprotected outdoor coil in as little as a year and that it can carry up to ten miles inland. It eats the aluminium fins and causes pitting and pinhole leaks in the copper tubing. Check your outdoor coil: flaking or crumbling fins and white or green crusting are signs to have it looked at.

Power outages and surges

Pensacola's electricity comes from Florida Power & Light, which took over Gulf Power's Northwest Florida service on January 1, 2022. Storms bring outages and surges: after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 not one light was burning in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties, and Hurricane Sally in 2020 left more than 201,000 Gulf Power customers without power. Surges and brownouts damage capacitors, contactors and control boards. FPL offers a meter-mounted surge protector (SurgeShield) in Northwest Florida; a surge protector at the outdoor unit is another option worth considering.

Dirty coils and filters

ENERGY STAR recommends checking the filter every month. A clogged filter cuts airflow, freezes the indoor coil and drives up the bill. Outdoor coils collect grass clippings, pollen, leaves and salt. Keep plants and fences a couple of feet back from the outdoor unit, point mower discharge away from it, and have the coils cleaned at a spring tune-up.

Ductwork in attics and crawl spaces

In many Pensacola homes the ducts run through a hot attic, and in some older homes through crawl spaces. The historic homes of North Hill and East Hill date from the late 1800s to the 1930s, long before home central air was common, so ducts were added later wherever they fit. Torn, crushed or disconnected ducts pull in hot, damp air and leave rooms uneven. Look for sweating ducts, stained ceilings and rooms that never cool.

Storm season

Before a storm, take photos of the outdoor unit, clear loose items around it, and turn the system off at the thermostat and breaker if flooding or long outages are expected. After the storm, do not run a unit that has been under water or buried in debris until one of our technicians checks it. Keep portable generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house, as the CPSC advises.

Fix It Yourself Or Call Our Team?

Safe to do yourself: change the filter, check the thermostat mode and batteries, reset a tripped breaker once, rinse loose debris off the outdoor unit with a garden hose with the power off, and clear the drain line opening if your system has an accessible cleanout. Leave to our technicians anything electrical inside the units, refrigerant, gas furnaces, a breaker that trips again, ice on the lines, or water in the ceiling.

Signs to act on today

• The system runs but the air is not cool
• Ice on the copper line or the indoor coil
• A breaker that trips repeatedly
• Water leaking from the indoor unit or a stained ceiling below it
• Burning, electrical or gas smells
• Loud grinding, banging or buzzing from the outdoor unit
• A power bill far higher than the same month last year

See also what to check when your AC is not cooling and filters and thermostat settings. When it is time for a professional, call (850) 805-7098.