How to Choose & When to Replace Home Air Conditioning Units

Having air conditioning in your home can be a great advantage during the summer months. When the temperatures begin to soar, your home will remain cool and comfortable – and you may find that friends and family are asking to come over to escape the heat. Of course, you can only enjoy this respite from the high temperatures if your air conditioner is in good working order. If it is not functioning properly, you’ll be left to sweat it out like everyone else.

So, how do you pick the right A/C unit, and when do you know that it is time to replace your old home air conditioning unit? Let’s discuss.

Realistic Expectations

Even if you buy a high-quality air conditioner for your home, you shouldn’t realistically expect to get more than 20 years out of that unit – and that would be a good outcome. So, if the unit currently serving your home is well into its second decade, you should be thinking about finding a replacement sooner rather than later. It would be preferable to replace your old A/C before it fails, rather than having to scramble to find a new unit during the middle of some scorching summer weather.

Repairs Can Make Sense

Just because your air conditioner is acting up doesn’t necessarily mean you should be on the hunt for a new one. When dealing with a unit that is relatively new – say less than 10 years old – having repairs made might be the right choice. Of course, that is only true if the cost of the repair is modest in comparison to what it would cost to buy a whole new air conditioner. If the repair is going to wind up costly most of what you’d need to pay for a new unit, it’s probably time to move on.

Picking the Right Machine

For the purposes of this section, let’s imagine that you have reached a point where you are going to replace your old A/C unit. With that decision made, your attention will turn to picking out the right air conditioner to serve your home. The points below are a good place to start –
• Find a respected brand. This is a good place to start. You might be able to save money by purchasing an off-brand model, but is that really going to save you money in the long run? Probably not. Look for a model that is made by a respected brand name with a long history in this industry.
• Size is a big key. You’ll need to select a unit that is capable of providing enough cool air to bring the temperature down throughout your house. Each model you encounter on the market will have a rating that you can reference so there is no guesswork when making the purchase.

You don’t necessarily need to run out and buy a new A/C at the first sign of trouble with your old model, but there does come a time when buying a new one makes more sense than paying for repairs. Think it through and get that cold air flowing again as soon as possible!