Summer might be over, but it’ll be here again before you know it. If you think you might need to install a new air conditioner before that happens, now is when to do it! The off-season is a great time to get a quality air conditioning system for less investment. If you’re not sure whether or not you need a new air conditioner, though, there are some ways that you can find out. Ask yourself if your air conditioner has met any of these conditions when you used it this past summer.
Unexplained Monthly Costs
The more you use your air conditioner, the more it’s going to cost you to operate from month to month. If your system starts costing more than even that added usage would explain, though, you should call a professional. As an air conditioner ages, it will start to accumulate so much wear and tear that it will begin to lose efficiency. As the efficiency of the system declines, it will be forced to operate for longer periods of time to try and compensate. If this is the reason that your monthly air conditioning costs are increasing, there’s little that you can do other than replace the system entirely.
Rising Repair Costs
You’re likely going to need to repair your air conditioner once or twice over the course of its life. If you need to repair the system multiple times a year, though, you have a bigger problem. An air conditioner that needs to be repaired that often is probably starting to have parts fail from years of age and normal use. As the system gets closer to the end of its life, parts will begin to wear out and fail in rapid succession. Once your air conditioner has reached this point, it’s almost certainly better to install a new system than to continually repair the current one over and over again.
Old Age
No matter how well you take care of your air conditioner, there is a natural end-point where the system is going to break down permanently. With air conditioners, that natural endpoint tends to fall around 10 to 15 years of age. That might change slightly, depending on the individual situation, but you shouldn’t count on the system to last much longer than that. Once your air conditioner reaches 15 years of age, it will start to accumulate a number of different issues similar to those we’ve already discussed above.
The efficiency of the air conditioner will continue to decline, and it will start to have more and more problems. You can keep spending time and money maintaining the old system, if you want, or you can install a new system and do away with all of those problems. If your air conditioner is older than 15 years, we highly recommend that you consult with a professional about replacing it.
Sunset Air offers comprehensive air conditioner installation and replacement services in Tacoma, WA. If you need a new air conditioner installed or replaced, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
