Is it Time to Repair or Replace Your Central Air?

Ace Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning helps Sacramento homeowners, business owners, and property managers with all manner of plumbing and HVAC questions year ‘round. Some issues are perennial — we deal with a lot of clogs no matter what the date is on the calendar — but others tend to come up at specific times of year. In the spring and summer months, it’s common to wonder whether you should repair your central air conditioning and get another season out of it, or whether you’re better off starting over from scratch.

Common Air Conditioning Problems

Before we get into the “repair or replace” dilemma, let’s look at a few reasons you might be asking yourself the question in the first place.

• Your AC is blowing hot air
• Your air conditioner smells funny
• The AC is frozen
• It seems like the air conditioning is always running
• Your utility bills are higher than normal

Before you call ContactAce Plumbing, there are a few things we suggest doing, since these solve more problems than you’d think: check your thermostat, also making sure the AC and not the heat is on. Also check your breakers, change your filters, and check for obstructions around the intake.

When to Repair Your Central Air

The first question to ask yourself is how diligent you’ve been with HVAC maintenance. Most of us treat climate control like we treat ourselves. As long as things seem to be working fine, we don’t ask too many questions; we’ll wait ’til something stops working before we get it checked. If it’s been a while since your last HVAC tune-up, start there. Often as not, something as simple as a filter change a quick visit by our technicians is enough to give your old system a new lease on life.

When to Replace Your Central Air

Let’s say you’ve done all the troubleshooting you can, you’ve been diligent about maintenance, and you’ve even had us out a few times for repairs — yet things are still going wrong. That’s often the first sign that it’s time for a new air conditioner installation. Sooner or later, you’re going to hit a point where the cost of repairs means a new unit is more cost effective. But there are other reasons to consider a new unit.

Improper Sizing

The HVAC system that was installed in your home probably wasn’t sized properly. If it’s too small, it ends up working harder under extreme temperatures. But if it’s too big — which is common, since some contractors just figure “more is better” — that’s bad news, too, since an oversized system cycles more frequently, wears out faster, uses more power, and is more prone to problems with condensation and leaks.

Age

This can actually be a double whammy, since homes with older air conditioning also usually have older thermostats, and neither is doing you any favors. An older unit that seems fine isn’t as efficient as it was when it was installed, and certainly won’t be as efficient as a newer unit. Newer thermostats, meantime, can be programmed and monitored remotely, giving you a higher degree of control and efficiency than their older counterparts.

Energy Spend

Proper sizing and higher efficiency has another benefit you’ll enjoy. You’ll spend less on energy month-to-month. That savings can be stretched further still with state and federal rebates for energy-efficient HVAC — talk to us for more information!

Questions? Call Ace Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning. We serve the Fair Oaks, Roseville, and Sacramento areas 24/7.