5 Signs You Need to Replace Your Air Conditioning System
- Your HVAC is old: With routine HVAC maintenance, you can get 15 to 20 years out of your cooling equipment. If you’re unsure how old your system is, you may be able to find the manufacturing date on the unit. Here’s how:
- Find the metal nameplate on the unit’s outside cabinet. The date should be stamped near the top of the plate. If it’s not there, move on to the next step.
- Take picture of the plate because you’ll need to refer to the model and serial numbers and the brand. The date is sometimes baked into these numbers.
- Type this information into a search engine along with “manufacture date.” A number of resources should pop up that will help you decode the information.
- If that fails, call us. We’ll help you determine when your AC was made.
Knowing the exact age will help determine how much longer you can expect it to last so you can budget for an air conditioning system replacement.
2. Your energy costs are rising: Your HVAC loses its efficiency as it ages. These gradual losses will be reflected in your energy bills. Compare your most recent energy statement with one from the year prior. If you see a sharp increase, your cooling system may be at fault.
3. It’s not cooling like it used to: If your comfort level leaves something to be desired, your AC might’ve lived past its usefulness. Of course, a replacement isn’t the only solution. There may be a number of factors that are hindering its performance, such as leaky ductwork. Even a brand new system will struggle to provide adequate cooling with shoddy air ducts.
4. It’s humid in your home: Your AC unit should cool your home as well as dehumidify. The cooling process removes moisture from the air, channeling condensate through a drain line. However, the evaporator coil is one of the first major parts to fail when the system becomes too old to operate properly.
5. It’s loud and smelly: Squealing, rattling and grinding noises indicate a mechanical failure of some kind. Likewise, musty, moldy odors suggest a dirty evaporator coil.
Some of the symptoms described above can be repaired during a maintenance inspection, during which a technician will tune up your cooling equipment so that it might get you through one more summer. However, if your system checks multiple boxes indicating that it’s outlived its usefulness, you’ll benefit from a replacement. Today’s high-efficiency AC systems operate quietly and provide superior comfort, saving you money in the long. To schedule your appointment with the Carrollton HVAC technicians at Lex Air Conditioning and Heating, call (972) 217-8955.
