While you might be doing back-to-school shopping or even seeing Halloween decorations starting to show up on store shelves, there’s still a good bit of summer weather left. August is a terrible time of year to be suddenly stuck with a nonfunctional air conditioner.
How’s yours doing? If you’re holding out hope that your air conditioner will last the rest of the season, but having serious doubts, we’ve got some advice for you.
There are many factors that contribute to the decline and eventual demise of an AC system, and we’ll go over the most significant ones to help you decide whether it’s time to look into replacement and AC installation in Ashburn, VA or if you can put it off a bit longer.
Age
A traditional central AC system should work well for at least a decade. In some cases, it will keep chugging along for twelve or even fifteen years. Toward the end of its lifespan, though, an air conditioner will be less efficient and much more likely to encounter repair needs.
Maintenance
Those lifespan estimates are based on the assumption that the air conditioner in question has been receiving annual maintenance. This yearly service increases efficiency and effectiveness and cuts down on wear and tear and system strain by removing dust and grime, adding lubrication, and catching tiny concerns before they develop into full-blown repair needs. Without maintenance, an air conditioner may only survive for half of its projected lifetime.
Compressor Problems
While most AC issues can be reasonably repaired, the compressor is both the most critical and the most costly component. If your air conditioner is on the older side, it may not be worth replacing the compressor at all, like an old car’s transmission. Having regular maintenance done and getting repairs at the first sign of a problem will cut down on compressor strain. But if you’re having compressor problems—hard starting, short cycling, tripping the circuit breaker—you’ll probably be looking at replacing the air conditioner in the near future.
Repair Needs
Are you aware that repairs would be needed to keep your air conditioner running now? There are two factors to consider. First, there’s the cost of this specific repair. Second, there’s the frequency with which repairs have been needed lately. Either one very expensive repair or one small repair in a series of many could indicate that you’d be better off investing in a new AC system.
The 5000 Rule
Since these factors are all interdependent, one way to calculate whether to repair or replace an air conditioner is the 5,000 rule. Multiply the age of your air conditioner by the likely cost of repairing it. An answer under 5,000 (for example, a five-year-old air conditioner needing a five-hundred-dollar repair and resulting in an answer of 2,500) indicates that repair is a reasonable choice. An answer over 5,000 (a ten-year-old air conditioner requiring an eight-hundred-dollar repair and resulting in an answer of 8,000) indicates that replacement would be the better investment.
AllTech Services, Inc. is your trusted resource for AC repair and replacement. Contact us today!