AC Repair in Kapaa, HI
If your air conditioner quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Kauai County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your air conditioner never really gets a break here
Kapaa doesn't give your system an off season. It runs all 12 months, and on summer afternoons pushing 83°F it runs hard to keep up. That kind of steady demand wears on the parts that keep the compressor cool and the refrigerant moving.
When a system runs year round, small problems don't get time to sit unnoticed. A capacitor that's starting to weaken or a coil that's losing efficiency shows up as warm air coming from the vents, or the unit running longer than it used to just to hold the same temperature.
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 11 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
A new air conditioner would cut about $140 a year off cooling for a typical Kauai County home.
Estimates for a typical Kauai County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Hawaii 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.
Hawaii requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Hawaii's license is held by the contractor, not issued per job. It covers the company doing the work, tested and on record with the state's Contractors License Board. There is one exception. Work under $1,000 does not need a licensed contractor. Above that, whoever repairs your air conditioner is expected to hold the state license.
On a repair like this, the license is what stands behind the work. But the refrigerant side has its own rule, and it applies in every state. Any technician who opens the refrigerant lines on your air conditioner needs EPA Section 608 certification to do it.
Source: Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first. A refrigerant leak will also do this, and so will a coil so caked with dirt it can't pull heat out of the air. If the filter looks fine and the air still isn't cold, a contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge, and by federal law that has to be someone with EPA Section 608 certification.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Usually it's a clogged condensate drain line. As your system runs, it pulls moisture out of the air and that water is supposed to drain out through a line to the outside. Algae and dirt build up in that line over time and block it, and the water backs up and drips inside instead. A frozen coil that then thaws can cause the same thing, and that points to a separate problem with airflow or refrigerant that a contractor should look at.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Start with the thermostat and the breaker before assuming the worst. Check that the thermostat has power and is set to cool, and check the breaker panel for a tripped switch. If both look fine, the problem is likely inside the unit itself, something like a failed capacitor or a bad control board, and that calls for a licensed contractor to diagnose. Hawaii requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Contractors License Board, so ask to see it before any repair begins. A contractor can price the job once they've seen what's wrong.