4 Signs Your Air Conditioner Might Fail This Summer

There's a point when even the best maintenance schedule and timely repairs can't save an old air conditioner.

If you're wondering about whether it's time to consider a new system, chances are pretty good that it's past time. Here are some key indicators that this summer will be the last one that you spend with your current AC system.

#1: Your Air Conditioner is More Than 10 Years Old

By no means is 10 years the magic lifespan of all air conditioners. Some of them survive much longer, and some break much sooner. However, a system that's 10 years old has seen a tremendous amount of use. Parts begin to break, and sometimes repair parts are increasingly difficult to find.

If your AC system has served you for 10 years, give or take, it's time to start thinking about a replacement. You might get another season or two from it, or even more. But if it does give up the ghost at the decade mark, that's about average for more residential air conditioning systems.

You can keep turning it down, but that might not be enough.

#2: Your Home Doesn't Get Cool Enough

Do you adjust the thermostat lower and lower in a losing battle to cool your home? It's never a good sign. But it's worse if your AC system used to perform well and has only recently started struggling to keep up with demand. If humidity is also a problem, the system is probably in worse shape than you suspect.

Some air conditioners are just not powerful enough to cool certain homes. But you'd have known that long before now unless your system is brand new. If it seems to grow weaker all the time, it's beginning to fail. And if you can't bring the humidity level down indoors, that's a possible indicator of a much bigger problem.

#3: You Need More Repairs Every Year

Every air conditioner needs seasonal maintenance, and the occasional repair is to be expected. Parts break and nothing lasts forever, especially with an appliance that gets so much use. But there comes a point where repairs happen more and more frequently. And that's a point where the system is probably approaching its expiration.

Increasingly frequent repairs mean everything is giving out. One issue can trigger another, and if the parts are older they might begin to break down in rapid succession. It's not unlike an old vehicle. It's possible to keep it on the road. But it won't perform well, and you'll pay a lot more in repairs and energy for weaker performance every year.

#4: It Works Until it Doesn't

At some point near the end of its lifespan, your air conditioner might only work intermittently. Maybe you wake in the morning to a stuffy house and a system that's silent. But if you turn it off and then try again later, it might revive and work again, at least for a while.

A healthy air conditioner doesn't need a nap in order to perform well. If yours only cycles on intermittently, that's one of the most classic indicators that a new air conditioner is in your future.

Everything fails eventually, even the best air conditioners. Sooner or later, they all break beyond repair. Yours might offer a few more months or even years of service. But if the problems are snowballing and you call your HVAC technician more than twice a season, it's the outlook isn't positive.

But there is good news. At Rodenhiser, we're experts in residential cooling. We have a wide range of air conditioning systems that can make your home comfortable again. Contact us for an HVAC new system install and find out how many new, highly efficient options that you have.