Here in Springfield, LA, summer has arrived, and now is the time to determine whether your air conditioner can go the distance for another summer, or whether you need to call in a replacement session to get a new one installed. Now is the time to do it, because the summer has just gotten started. Replacing the system now means you can enjoy the increased efficiency and improved performance all summer long, as well as all but eliminating the chances of a breakdown this summer.
That said, new air conditioners can represent quite an investment, and the more use you can get out of your existing air conditioner, the better. So how can you tell? Ultimately, only you can make that decision for your home, but we can provide a few timely guidelines to help you make that decision.
It starts with a firm evaluation, which can constitute a maintenance session if you haven’t scheduled one yet this year. In some cases, you might also be caught by surprise when a breakdown or repair job comes up, but not always. In any case,your assessment should include the following factors:
The Status of the Warranty
First and foremost, you should ascertain whether the warranty is still in effect. It covers the original parts of the air conditioner for a certain amount of time (usually 8-12 years or thereabouts). if it’s still in effect, the repairs are almost always preferable to replacement, and you can operate the system confidently knowing that any repair calls will take place at a great savings since you’re only paying for the labor.
Even if the warranty has expired, the system can be kept running efficiently through judicious use and regular maintenance sessions. (That’s part of why we recommend regular servicing to help extend the life of your system.) If, however, you’re facing costs that are excessively high and the warranty has expired, the combination may be enough to warrant a replacement call.
Expenses
In some cases, excessive expense involves a single repair job, which costs more than you feel the existing air conditioning is worth. If the warranty has expired and the cost is too high, then invest that money into a new system instead of throwing good money after bad. The same holds true for smaller repair jobs if they come too quickly (say more than twice in the same twelve-month period), or if you think a major repair is coming in the next few months and you don’t want to deal with it in the heart of the summer.
Operational costs can play a big role as well. As your air conditioner gets older, it will lose efficiency, costing you more to run it each month. Eventually, the cost is going to get high enough to seriously affect your budget, and there’s only so much a technician can do to reverse that trend. A new system will curtail those costs and allow you to enjoy considerable savings all summer.
Call the pros at Professional Heating & Air for AC repair and service in Springfield, LA.