Air conditioners don’t last forever, and sooner or later you’re going to need to replace yours with a new one. That means that you should keep an eye out now for the signs that your system is getting close to the end of its life. If your air conditioner can’t get you through another summer, then it’s better to just replace it and not have to worry about it next year when you’re going to want to start using it as soon as the weather starts heating up. The best way to tell for certain whether or not your air conditioner is in need of replacement is to contact a professional technician and have them take a look at it for you. Before you make that call, though, you might want to first take stock of whether or not your system fits the following list.
Is It Costing More to Use Than It Should?
If your air conditioner seems to be causing your energy bills to spike more than it normally does, that’s not a good sign. Typically that kind of issue is the result of wear and tear on the system causing a decline in efficiency. The air conditioner has to run for longer to accomplish the same level of cooling, which adds to your monthly bills. If this is the cause of your air conditioner’s higher cost, then, unfortunately, the only thing to be done is to replace it entirely. Nothing can reverse wear and tear that is spread throughout the system.
Frequent Breakdowns
If your air conditioner is breaking down on a regular basis (more than once every few years) then that’s another sign that the wear and tear on the system has reached critical levels. The more worn out the parts inside the air conditioner get, the more often it’s going to break down and the more you’re going to have to pay for repairs. This issue is only going to get worse the longer the system is in use, so it’s better to replace the entire system now than to replace it a single part at a time.
Old Age
The older and more worn out a system gets, the more likely it’s going to be to develop issues that prevent it from operating cost-effectively. The average lifespan for an air conditioner is between 10-15 years. After that point, it will more than likely begin to start developing a whole range of problems that inhibit its ability to cool the home properly. If your air conditioner is older than 15, we highly recommend that you call a technician as quickly as possible to discuss replacing it. No good can come of continuing to use a system past that age range.