Tips on when to consider repairing or replacing your air conditioning unit

Should I Repair my Air Conditioner or Replace It? What should I consider when buying a new Air Conditioner? What if my system is older than 15 years of age What about the mandated phase out of refrigerants? What are my choices? What Air Conditioner should I buy? Who should I buy from?

Should I Repair my Air Conditioner or Replace It?

Answers: This question is asked by many of our customers during our hot Treasure Valley summer months.
Please read these guidelines as they will help you make a more informed decision.

Air Conditioning Systems under 5 years of age: In most cases the best advice is to simply fix the unit. Nearly all manufacturers provide a 5 to 10-year warranty on the compressor and other parts. Some also provide a 5 or 10-year warranty on the air conditioning condenser and evaporator coils. If you are not sure if you have a valid warranty just call Ameri-Serv and our technicians will diagnose your problem and then contact the manufacturer to determine if your air conditioning system condenser is still under warranty for any particular part, it's that simple.

Air Conditioning Systems over 5 years of age:  When the air conditioning system compressor fails and the compressor is out of warranty we suggest replacing the entire air conditioning unit. Typically units over this age did not come with a 10 year warranty on the compressor as those types of warranties started just a few years ago.

Ameri-Serv technicians will diagnose your system and contact the manufacturer  to determine if any warranty is still available. Keep in mind that the replacement compressor for your air conditioner will typically only carry a 1-year warranty and  the cost of the replacement compressor for your air conditioning system is normally at least ½ to ¾ the cost of a brand new air conditioning condenser unit.

Many of the other parts, other than the coils, that fail on your air conditioner are usually low enough in cost to warrant a repair instead of replacing the unit at this age.

Air Conditioning Systems over 8 year of age: Unless the part is less than $200.00 we suggest considering replacing the air conditioning unit. At this age the air conditioning condenser system may continue to be prone to more failures and with increased efficiency of the latest air conditioning systems you could save hundreds off your utility bill.

Air Conditioning Systems over 12 year of age: We suggest considering replacing the air conditioning condenser unit, typically you can expect to save up to 50% in operating costs simply by increasing the efficiency rating of your air conditioning condenser unit with a new indoor evaporator coil. Newer air conditioning systems that are available today are much more efficient and economical to operate than those manufactured 10 years ago.

Other things to consider about you air conditioner: If the air conditioner condenser fan motor fails and the system continues to run unnoticed, it is highly likely that there is hidden damage present. Your air conditioning system compressor depends on the air conditioning system condenser fan to remove the heat from the condenser unit and when the fan fails it puts a huge amount of heat, wear and tear on the compressor. The air conditioning compressor is similar to your car engine; overheating can damage both.

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What should I consider when buying a new Air Conditioner?

Answers: There has been a lot of improvement in air conditioning systems efficiency and performance over the last 5 or 10 years. If your system was installed prior to 1996 the SEER rating of your air conditioning condenser unit when it was new was likely around an 8 or 10 SEER. What is SEER, that stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and it is similar to miles per gallon on your car and like your car the higher the SEER the lower your utility bill will be and currently there are systems that have a SEER rating as high as 20 SEER with savings as high as 50%.

There are three main ways to determine the SEER of air conditioning equipment:
1. Find the model numbers of your present air conditioner and contact Ameri-Serv for an answer.
2. You can also check the energy efficiency label on your outdoor unit if it was manufactured after 1989.
3. Here are some history basics, if your home air conditioning system is….

Pre 1980 Your air conditioner SEER Rating is 6 or less
1980 – 1985 Your air conditioner SEER Rating is 7 or less
1986 – 1991 Your air conditioner SEER Rating is 8 or less
1991 – 2004 Your air conditioner SEER Rating is 10 – 12 or less

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What if my system is older than 15 years of age
Answers: It is likely your air conditioning system condenser is operating at a 6 SEER or lower. According to the Department of Energy for each increase of 1 point on the SEER rating for your air conditioning system you will receive an approximate 10% increase in efficiency, in other words you should expect a 10% reduction in your utility bill.

Therefore a 9 SEER air conditioning unit is 10% more efficient than an 8 SEER air conditioning unit, and a 13 SEER air conditioning unit is 50% more efficient than an 8 SEER air conditioning unit.  In 1992 the Department of Energy mandated the lowest SEER that could be manufactured was a 10 SEER unit. We all know mandates change regularly, the current federal mandates require a minimum of a 13 SEER air conditioning condenser unit.

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What about the mandated phase out of refrigerants?

Answer: Unless you have a a new air conditioning system the refrigerant in your system is likely R-22, which is an HCFC or Hydro chlorofluorocarbon which is bad for the environment as it essential eats the ozone.

Back in 1987 the Montreal Protocol mandated that HCFC's begin a phase out program and air conditioning systems manufacturers will stop making units using R-22 by 2010. As this phase out has continued the production of R-22 has decreased and subsequently the costs of R-22 have started to skyrocket.

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What are my choices?

Answer: The majority of the air conditioning manufacturers are designing their new equipment to use refrigerant R-410A. Virtually all manufacturers have systems available with R-410A and have several different SEER units available. R-410A is much more friendly to the environment and is considered to be Green.

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What Air Conditioner should I buy?

Answer: Units using R-22 will continue to be available and if your system is installed properly you should not have refrigerant leaks. If you are in the market for a new system we highly recommend you explore your choices with systems that use R-410A.

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Who should I buy from?

Answer: The who is sometimes more important than the what. Make sure that your system will be installed by a state licensed company that uses trained and qualified installers. Make sure the company is a member of the BBB, and obtain a copy of their reliability report at www.boise.bbb.org. Another way to ensure you are working with a qualified contractor is if they are members of an organization that encourages quality such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). You will also want to make sure the technicians are qualified by being certified by organizations such as North American Technical Excellence (NATE). It is better to pay a little more for equipment from a company that guarantees your satisfaction.

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