This week is the official start of fall. Temperatures, of course, don’t strictly obey the calendar, and you may still need to rely on running your air conditioner for a few more weeks. But it’s a transition time, and this is an ideal point in the year to stop and consider how well your air conditioner performed over the summer. This can help you make a few important decisions about your HVAC system and home comfort—in particular, answer the big question: “Is my AC good for another year, or should I schedule a replacement?”
The question is more urgent if you have an air conditioner that’s in the 10 to 15-year range. This is the general service life expectancy for an AC, so you’ll want to give close consideration to the system’s performance so you’ll be able to get ahead of a final breakdown. If your air conditioner is older than 15 years, we recommend a replacement system as soon as you can arrange for it.
A piece of machinery that’s covered with a layer of grime and dirt won’t run as well as when it’s clean. That’s just a basic fact. When it comes to your air conditioning system, a layer of dirt and grime almost anywhere on it is bad news. For example, dust along the indoor evaporator coils can quickly cause the AC to lose energy efficiency and ice to develop along the coils.
