How do you know when it’s time to replace your air conditioner? There’s a good two years toward the end of your air conditioner’s life when it may experience more frequent repair needs based on expert research.
But even with these additional repairs, it’s often affordable to make minor repairs and keep your air conditioning running instead of replacing the unit. But there are some key signs that it is time to replace your air conditioner for good. If you need AC replacement in Portland, OR, give our team a call. In the meantime, you can keep reading to learn more about signs that it’s time to replace your AC with a newer model.
Red Flags With Airflow
Poor airflow can mean that your air conditioner has reached the end of its life. Sure, there are times when our team can make tweaks to the system and help you to improve airflow again. But there are other times when airflow problems are simply caused by your system’s age. Your air conditioner brings air in through the grate where your air filter is located.
That air then channels through the system, blowing over the condenser coils to cool and entering your series of ductwork to blow into your home. Many times, ductwork gets so old and damaged that it cannot be repaired anymore and instead needs to be completely replaced. Other times, poor airflow has to do with the hot air leaving your home via the outdoor unit. If hot air cannot escape, it gets trapped in your system and disperses back into your home.
Short Cycling
You also want to pay attention to cooling cycles. Most of the time your air conditioner will run in 15 to 20 minute increments to cool your home. It will turn on and off at regular intervals, but not too frequently. If you begin to notice that your air conditioner is turning on and off every few minutes, that is a red flag of short cycling. Something is preventing your air conditioner from completing a cooling cycle.
As a result, your thermostat continues to trigger your air conditioner to turn on and cool your home and it continues to malfunction. Since very expensive components can be involved in short cycling, sometimes it makes more sense to replace your air conditioner instead of spending thousands on a single repair.
Unusual Sounds
Anytime you hear unusual sounds coming from your air conditioner, you need to call us. No matter what the sound is, whether it’s loud or soft, or happens once or multiple times, an unusual sound always indicates trouble. There may be a small, loose part rattling around or a bent fan blade scraping or knocking. There’s also a chance that sounds like hissing or bubbling are caused by a refrigerant leak. You should always get your air conditioner checked out if you have concerns about an unusual sound.
Please call Sydni, our Office Extraordinaire, to schedule your next appointment! We will take care of you from there!