Spring is here, and summer will be along before you know it. Here in Milwaukie, OR, that means you should give your air conditioner a thorough look and determine whether it needs any help before temperatures get too high. If you have an older air conditioner that’s having problems, you may be wondering if you should replace it with a new one, or simply fix it up as best you can and power through another summer or two with it. A good technician can provide advice, but only you can determine when your air conditioner is ready to be put out to pasture. We used three general guidelines to help homeowners make that determination.
1. Age
Most air conditioners should be replaced every 10 to 15 years. You can stretch that out if you keep it regularly maintained, and if it’s still doing the job after 20 years, great. But age becomes an increasingly important factor if an older air conditioner starts exhibiting signs of trouble. What kind of signs? We’re glad you ask.
2. Frequency of Repair
Every air conditioner suffers breakdowns from time to time, and as yours gets older, the wear and tear will catch up to it. You may find yourself in a position where you’re dealing with multiple repairs over a short period of time, or conversely, just one repair job that costs more than you feel the system is worth. In those cases, replacement is probably preferable to throwing good money away on a failing system.
3. High Monthly Bills
Sometimes, the high cost doesn’t come from a repair job, but creeping inefficiency that drives your monthly air conditioning bills up. A new system can save a lot of money on that front, and if the prospect of another summer’s worth of brutal bills is too much, it’s probably a sign.
The Clean Air Act can install, repair and maintain air conditioners for you.