- Founded in 2005
- Family-Owned & Local
- Honest & Transparent
- Mount Gilead, NC
- Heating & Cooling Specialists
- Residential & Commercial
Your air conditioner finally quit. Maybe it limped through one more Piedmont summer, maybe it died on the first 90-degree day. Either way, you're standing in a hot house wondering what a new system should cost and who to trust to put it in right.
Here's the hard part. Mount Gilead summers are long and humid. A unit that's too big short-cycles and leaves your house clammy. A unit that's too small runs all day and never catches up. Most comfort problems we see don't come from a bad brand. They come from a bad install.
We're EM Contractors LLC, a family-owned HVAC company right here on Valley View Church Rd. We size your system to your home, install it clean, and tell you the honest truth about what you need. No upsell. No guesswork. Just a system that cools your house and lasts.
Common Problems We See
- Your old AC stopped cooling or blows warm air no matter the thermostat setting
- The house feels damp and sticky even when the temperature reads right
- Repair bills keep stacking up on a system that's 12 to 15 years old
- Your unit uses R-22 (Freon) and parts are getting expensive or impossible to find
- One room cools fine while another stays hot all afternoon
- Energy bills climb every summer as the system loses efficiency
- The outdoor unit is rusted or corroded from years of humid Piedmont weather
- You're building, adding on, or buying a home with no AC at all
How EM Contractors Helps
We start by sizing the system to your actual home, not by guessing or matching whatever was there before. We look at your square footage, your ductwork, your windows, and how your house holds heat. Then we recommend the right size and the right type, whether that's a standard central AC, a heat pump that handles both summer and our mild winters, or a ductless mini-split for an older downtown home with no ductwork.
When we install, we do it clean. Proper line sets, a correct charge, a level pad, sealed ductwork, and a system that's tuned to run well from day one. We install all major makes and models, including Heil. And we tell you up front what the job costs. If a repair makes more sense than a full replacement, we'll say so. That's how we've worked since 2005, and it's why neighbors keep calling us back.
Why Choose EM Contractors LLC
We live and work in Mount Gilead. Eric Mabe runs the company, and his father Roger has done HVAC in Montgomery County for decades, so the Mabe name has cooled homes around Lake Tillery and Town Creek for a long time. We know what a Piedmont summer does to a system and what it takes to keep a house comfortable through it. We're family-owned, we're honest about what your home actually needs, and we treat your house and your money with respect. When you call, you get a neighbor, not a call center.
Our AC Installation Process
- 1
Free in-home assessment
We come out, look at your home and existing system, and listen to what's bothering you. Hot rooms, high bills, a unit that won't keep up. We measure and check before we recommend anything.
- 2
Honest sizing and a clear quote
We size the system to your home and walk you through your options in plain language. You get a fair, written price with no surprises and no pressure to buy more than you need.
- 3
Clean, careful installation
Our crew removes the old equipment, sets the new system level, runs proper line sets, seals the connections, and charges the unit correctly. We protect your home and clean up when we're done.
- 4
Startup, testing, and walkthrough
We start the system, verify it's cooling and dehumidifying the way it should, and show you how to run your new thermostat. We don't leave until your house is cooling right.
Local Tips for AC Installation
Honest, practical advice from the EM Contractors crew — the same things we'd tell a neighbor.
Insist on a real load calculation, not a swap
Ask us to size the new unit to your home, not just match the old box. In our long, humid summers an oversized AC cools fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so your house stays cool and clammy. The right size runs longer and keeps the air dry.
Have your ductwork checked before the new unit goes in
A new, efficient AC bolted to leaky or undersized ducts won't perform like it should. Before we install, we look at your ducts and seal what needs sealing so the cooling you paid for actually reaches every room instead of leaking into the crawlspace.
Keep the new outdoor unit off the wet ground and clear
Our humid Piedmont air rusts condensers fast, especially out toward Lake Tillery. We set the unit level on a solid pad, and you help it last by keeping grass, mulch, and bushes about two feet back so it can breathe and shed heat.
More Air Conditioning Services
Should You Repair or Replace Your AC System?
We'll never push a new system you don't need. Here's the honest framework we use to help you decide.
Repair may be best
- System is under about 10 years old
- The repair is minor and inexpensive
- Energy bills have stayed steady
- Unit has been maintained and uses R-410A
- First or second issue in years of service
Replacement may be best
- System is 12–15+ years old
- Repairs are becoming frequent
- Energy bills keep climbing
- Cooling is uneven or humidity stays high
- A major component (like the compressor) failed
- Unit uses phased-out R-22 refrigerant
Not sure where your system lands? We'll give you an honest evaluation — and we'll tell you to keep what you have when that's the right call.
What Customers Say About Our AC Installation Service
Real, verified reviews from the Mount Gilead neighbors we've helped.
“I have known the Mabe family for 65 years. Father Roger and son Eric have for 30 years provided to me excellent A/C installation and service. EM Contractors are knowledgeable, prompt and courteous. I highly recommend the company.”
“Excellent service. I called in the afternoon and someone was at my house within an hour. Would definitely recommend!”
“Excellent HVAC company. When I call he is very prompt, professional, and knowledgeable then goes right to work. I would highly recommend Eric Mabe to anyone. Thanks for coming out today.”
Air Conditioning Tips From Our Blog
AC Installation Questions, Answered
It depends on the size of your home, the type of system, and the shape of your existing ductwork. We won't throw out a random number over the phone. We come out, look at your home, and give you an honest, written price before any work starts so there are no surprises.
In our climate, heat pumps make a lot of sense. Our summers are long and our winters are mild, so one system can cool you in July and heat you through most of the winter efficiently. We'll look at your home and your budget and tell you straight which option fits best.
Yes. A lot of the older homes in our historic downtown were built without ducts. A ductless mini-split cools those homes without tearing into walls to add ductwork. It's a clean, efficient fix, and we install them often around here.
A straightforward replacement is usually done in a day. If we're adding ductwork, installing a mini-split system, or putting AC in a home that never had it, it can take longer. We'll tell you the timeline up front when we quote the job.
We service and install all major makes and models, including Heil. We're not tied to a single brand, so we recommend the system that's right for your home and your budget instead of pushing one label.
If your system is 12 to 15 years or older, uses R-22, or keeps needing repairs, replacement usually saves money over time. But not always. We'll give you an honest opinion, and if a repair makes more sense for you, we'll tell you that.
We measure your home and run a real load calculation, looking at square footage, ceiling height, windows, insulation, and how your ducts run. We don't just match whatever was there before. Sizing matters a lot here: too big and the unit short-cycles and leaves your house damp in our humid summers, too small and it runs all day and never catches up. Getting the size right is the whole job.
A straightforward install covers removing and hauling off your old equipment, setting the new system level on a proper pad, running fresh line sets, sealing the connections, charging the unit correctly, and a full startup test before we leave. We pull any permit the work calls for and walk you through your new thermostat. We give you the manufacturer's warranty paperwork and tell you plainly what it covers. Everything is in the written quote up front, no surprises.
A few signs point to a bad original install rather than a bad unit: some rooms never cool while others freeze, the house feels sticky even when the temperature reads right, the system short-cycles on and off, or the outdoor unit sits unlevel or buzzes hard on startup. Those usually trace back to wrong sizing, a poor refrigerant charge, or leaky ducts. We check for all of that so your new system doesn't repeat the same problems.
Ready for AC Installation? Talk to a Local HVAC Contractor
Call EM Contractors LLC for honest ac installation in Mount Gilead, NC and the surrounding communities.