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Shreveport-Bossier AC

Shreveport · Bossier City · Benton · Haughton

AC Repair in Shreveport & Bossier City, Season by Season

What tends to go wrong with an air conditioner at each point in the year, what you can safely check yourself, what repairs usually cost, and how to look up a contractor’s Louisiana license before you hire. Quote requests open soon; matching with an independent local contractor will be free.

Get matched with an AC contractor See the season calendar
The Shreveport, Louisiana skyline reflected in the Red River at night

The AC year

What goes wrong, and when

Air conditioner problems tend to follow the seasons. Find where you are in the year: the first list is what usually breaks then, the second is what you can safely do yourself with no tools and no panels off. These are rules of thumb, not a diagnosis.

  1. Before the first hot week

    Season 1: Wake the system up

    What tends to fail

    • A drain line clogged over the winter
    • A capacitor that weakened while the unit sat
    • A filter loaded with pollen

    Do this now

    • Fit a new filter and note the date on its edge.
    • Clear leaves and clippings from around the outdoor unit.
    • Run the AC on a mild afternoon and feel for cold air at a vent.

    Stop and call: It hums but the outdoor fan never spins.

  2. The first real heat

    Season 2: The first long run

    What tends to fail

    • Won’t start: capacitor, contactor or a tripped breaker
    • Runs, but the air coming out is warm
    • Short cycling: on and off every few minutes

    Do this now

    • Thermostat on COOL, fan on AUTO, set point below room temperature.
    • Check the breaker panel; reset a tripped AC breaker once, not twice.
    • Listen at the outdoor unit for a hum without the fan turning.

    Stop and call: The breaker trips again, or you smell burning.

  3. Peak heat and humidity

    Season 3: Long, hard run times

    What tends to fail

    • Ice on the copper lines or the indoor coil
    • Water in the drain pan or on the floor
    • Cool but clammy: the air never feels dry

    Do this now

    • Ice: switch to OFF with the fan ON and let it thaw for a few hours.
    • Look in the drain pan; a full pan trips a safety switch.
    • Blinds down on the sunny side; keep the filter fresh.

    Stop and call: It freezes again with a clean filter, or water reaches a ceiling.

  4. The cool months

    Season 4: Heat, and planning ahead

    What tends to fail

    • A heat pump that frosts over and won’t clear
    • A gas furnace that clicks but won’t light
    • Backup heat strips running far more than usual

    Do this now

    • Run the heat once before the first cold night.
    • Test the carbon monoxide alarm if the home has gas heat.
    • If the AC needed big repairs this summer, compare replacement quotes now.

    Stop and call: A CO alarm sounds: leave the house and call 911. You smell gas: leave and call the gas utility from outside.

Matching with an independent local contractor opens soon. Refrigerant, gas and electrical repairs are jobs for a contractor, not a homeowner.

Two cities, two permit offices

Shreveport and Bossier City sit on opposite banks of the Red River, and each city publishes its own permit and inspection pages. The permit guide sets out each city’s rules and fees, from the offices’ own documents.

  • Shreveport The City of Shreveport’s permits and inspections office. The permit guide links its HVAC permit request form.
  • Bossier City Bossier City’s mechanical permits and registration office, on the east bank.
  • Read the two-city HVAC permit guide

How matching works

  1. 1 Tell us what it is doing Warm air, no start, water, noise or damp air, plus your ZIP code and whether you own the home.
  2. 2 We pass it to one local contractor An independent Shreveport-Bossier air conditioning contractor who covers your area gets your request.
  3. 3 They quote the work The contractor contacts you, looks at the system and prices it. You decide.

Quote requests open soon. Serving Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton and the rest of the Shreveport-Bossier area. How matching works · Service areas

Before anyone starts work

  • Ask for the company’s Louisiana contractor license number and look it up with the State licensing board.
  • Get the diagnostic fee and the repair price in writing before work starts, including any after-hours charge.
  • Turn the system off at the thermostat if it is frozen, leaking or grinding. Running it can turn a small repair into a compressor.

Questions Shreveport-Bossier homeowners ask

How do I check that an AC contractor in Louisiana is licensed?

Ask the company for its Louisiana contractor license number and look it up on the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors website before any work starts. Our license-check guide walks through the lookup step by step.

My house is cool but feels damp. Is the AC working?

An air conditioner removes moisture as well as heat, so a clammy house at a normal temperature can point to a system that is oversized, short cycling, low on airflow or running the fan constantly. Check that the thermostat fan is set to AUTO rather than ON and that the filter is clean. If it still feels damp, ask a licensed contractor to check the airflow and the run times.

How does matching work, and what does it cost me?

Nothing. Once quote requests open, you tell us what the system is doing and where you are, and we pass it to an independent local air conditioning contractor who covers your area. They contact you, look at the system and quote the work. Shreveport-Bossier AC is a referral service: we do not do air conditioning or heating work and we are not a licensed contractor.