How often should I service my AC in Florida?
Twice a year in Central Florida, not once. Orlando records about 3,452 cooling degree days a year against only 525 heating degree days, so there is no shoulder season in which the equipment rests — and at roughly 75% average humidity, the condensate drain is the component most likely to shut the system down.
The once-a-year schedule is a northern assumption
NOAA 1991-2020 normalsAnnual service makes sense where a system cools hard for three months and then sits. That is not this climate. The NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Orlando International (USW00012815), the nearest first-order station, record about 3,452 cooling degree days against 525 heating degree days, an average annual temperature of 73°F, roughly 75% relative humidity and about 51.5 inches of rain.
Cooling load nearly seven times heating load means compressors, contactors and capacitors here accumulate runtime across most of the calendar. Two visits — one before the load builds, one during it — is the schedule that fits the climate.
NOAA 1991–2020 US Climate Normals, Orlando International Airport (USW00012815).
What each visit is actually for, here
The split againA blocked primary line in an upstairs unit ends up in somebody else's ceiling. The secondary pan and the float switch are the defence, and shared drain stacks clog on somebody else's schedule.
- Primary and secondary drain, pan, float switch
- Filter access in a closet — often the reason filters do not get changed
- Coil condition in a machine with inches of service clearance
The oak canopy over Spring Oaks, Weathersfield and Oakland Estates shades the condenser and then packs the coil. Attic equipment means the overflowing pan is the one nobody has looked at.
- Condenser coil wash and debris clearance
- Attic pan, secondary drain and float switch
- Capacitor and contactor checked before the season, not during it
What it is worth against a service call
Researched ranges, not our quoteA diagnostic call in this market is researched at $75–$150, and $150–$250 after hours. A capacitor is $150–$400. Those are the numbers any maintenance plan has to beat across a year to be worth buying.
Sources: Angi (capacitor), HomeAdvisor and This Old House (compressor), a Central Florida contractor's published Altamonte Springs replacement range and Florida PACE (replacement). Compiled September 2026.