We’re just a few weeks away from cooling season, which means soon you’ll be using your air conditioner to keep comfortable on a daily basis. That means more stress on the system, which means a greater chance of all kinds of issues occurring. Before you start using your air conditioner this cooling season, make sure that it’s actually able to cope with another year of service. If not, you should have it replaced as soon as possible. Watch for signs that your air conditioner needs to be replaced.
Higher Monthly Bills
Older air conditioners have to cope with more years of wear and tear, which causes a decrease in efficiency. As the system loses more and more of its cooling ability to the passage of time, it will begin to operate for longer in order to compensate. This will cause your monthly bills to start rising steadily. If your monthly bills are going up for no apparent reason, it might mean that your air conditioner is getting close to the end of its lifespan.
More Frequent Repair Needs
Even fairly new air conditioning systems need to be repaired every once in a while. However, as an air conditioner gets towards the end of its life, the various parts that make up the system become worn down enough that they begin to fail in groups. This causes the frequency, and the cost, of repairs to spike significantly. If you have to have your air conditioner repaired more than once every couple of years, it’s a pretty clear indication that you need to replace the entire system. You can keep repairing it if you want, but you will eventually get to the point where you are just replacing your system one piece at a time anyway. Better to replace it all at once and save a lot of money in the long run.
Age Range
The average lifespan of an air conditioner is right around 10-15 years, given ideal conditions. That will, of course, vary a little bit depending on each system’s individual situation. Once an air conditioner gets older than that, it will start to develop all kinds of issues like those listed above. The long and short of it is: the system will become less and less cost-effective to keep up and running. You can keep paying to maintain an old air conditioner, but there’s very little reason why you would want to. Once the system gets that old and worn down, it’s often far more effective to just install an entirely new one. You should have a professional examine your air conditioner once it reaches that age, just to make sure that it really is time to replace it. If your technician says it’s time, you should take their advice.
Douglas Cooling & Heating offers air conditioning replacement services in Hoover, AL. If you need to have your air conditioner replaced, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians. We will help you get your home ready for summer.
