{"id":442,"date":"2023-09-18T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.generalplumbing.com\/blog\/?p=442"},"modified":"2023-10-12T11:08:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T15:08:30","slug":"was-this-the-last-summer-for-your-ac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.generalplumbing.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/was-this-the-last-summer-for-your-ac\/","title":{"rendered":"Was This the Last Summer for Your AC?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An old air conditioner unit, in need of updating, sitting in tall weeds<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Air conditioning in Lake Worth, FL<\/a> is something we have to think about all around the year. We don\u2019t have long winter seasons where air conditioners stay off for months at a time\u2014and this means our ACs accumulate plenty of wear and tear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we move out of the summer and you won\u2019t need your AC running as often, you may want to consider your AC\u2019s condition. It won\u2019t last forever, especially in the rigors of the Florida heat, and if it\u2019s time to replace yours, the off-season is the best time to schedule it. We\u2019ll go over questions to ask about your AC that will help you figure out if this was its last summer of cooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How old is your air conditioner?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t know the answer, you can find the manufacturer\u2019s date on the outside cabinet of the AC. If the date isn\u2019t there, write down the model and serial number and go to the manufacturer\u2019s website. Central air conditioners can last, on average, from 10 to 15 years. Although it\u2019s possible for them to last for more than 15 years, they usually start to lose energy efficiency and become costlier to run and at a higher risk of sudden breakdowns. If you\u2019ve got an AC this old, we definitely recommend replacing it soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has the cost to run the AC gotten steeper?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at your summer electric bills for the past few years. If they\u2019ve started to rise and you don\u2019t know the reason, it\u2019s a possible warning that the AC is losing its energy efficiency due to age. Well-maintained air conditioners retain approximately 95% of their original efficiency rating through most of their lives, but will start to decline in the last one to two years. If you see higher operating costs, your AC may be nearing the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does the AC need repairs too often?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You shouldn\u2019t need to repair your air conditioner every year. And more than one repair a year is definitely too much. This money should go to a replacement rather than trying to push a few more miles out of a dying AC. Also watch out for any repair that\u2019s too expensive, such as a repair that costs more than half the price of getting a new air conditioner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has the AC lost some of its cooling capacity?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s ways to tell that your AC doesn\u2019t have the same cooling capacity anymore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n