You can keep your air conditioner going a good, long time if you’re sure to schedule maintenance and repairs when necessary. Even if you take really good care of your system, though, there will come a time when you need to install a new one. If you’re not sure whether or not that time has come for your system, don’t worry. We’re here to help you out. Have a look at the symptoms below to determine whether or not your air conditioner needs to be replaced with a new one any time soon.
High Monthly Costs
Cranking your air conditioner all the way up for hours on end during the summer is obviously going to have an affect on your monthly costs. That’s not what we’re talking about here, though. The longer the air conditioner is used over the years, the more worn out it will get. The subsequent drop in efficiency from using the air conditioner will cause the system to have to operate for longer periods of time to get the same results. Longer operating times means higher costs at the end of the month. If your air conditioner is doing this to you, unfortunately there’s nothing to be done but to replace it. The wear and tear on the system will only continue to cause problems.
Constant Repair Issues
It’s not unusual to have your air conditioner break down every once in a while. “Every once in a while” should be every few years, though, not every few months. If that’s what is happening to your air conditioner, then you have a bigger problem than run-of-the-mill air conditioning issues. Breaking down that often is typically a sign that the air conditioner is nearing the end of its life. The wear on the various parts of the system is causing parts of it to fail in groups. This issue will get worse the longer you use the system. The only way to get it to stop is to install an entirely new air conditioner.
Age
After about 10-15 years of service, the average air conditioner will begin to accumulate a range of chronic issues that will lessen its ability to cool the home properly. These issues, like those listed above, will gradually make the system more and more expensive to operate over time. Eventually, the system will be far more costly to use than its worth. For this reason, we recommend that you consult with a technician if your air conditioner is older than 15 years. It might be time to replace it, before it breaks down on you entirely. You might be able to squeeze a few more years of service out of it, but there’s a good chance that you’ll actually save a lot more money in the long run by replacing it now.
