Should You Replace Both the Inside and Outside Parts of Your Air Conditioner at the Same Time?
Summer is winding down, and you may be hoping that your old air conditioner will keep working until cooler weather arrives. Even if your air conditioner is not cooling your home the way it should, waiting for cooler weather might work out, or it might not. One thing you can be certain of is that your air conditioner problems are not going to fix themselves over the winter. Waiting and hoping is not a good strategy.
Call the experts at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling to assess the problem. A minor repair might be all it takes to keep your air conditioner working well into the future. Fail to make the minor repair, and your air conditioner might not make it through the rest of summer and fall. The technicians will do everything they can to keep your system working, but sometimes replacement is more practical than repair. You may need to decide if an expensive repair on a system with significantly limited life expectancy is a good decision.
Inside, Outside, or Both
When you make the decision to replace your air conditioner, you have a second decision to make. The outside unit of your air conditioner, also called the condenser unit, is the most likely to be the first major repair to cause you to consider a replacement. The inside unit needs service and occasional repairs but generally is less expensive. If the compressor goes out on your outside unit, the cost of replacement is substantial. Should you replace the outside unit only or both inside and outside units?
Why You Should Consider Replacing Both
- Newer systems are more energy efficient. If you replace both units, you can expect that your new air conditioner will save you money through lower utility bills in the future.
- You will have a multi-year warranty on your new air conditioner. Your system will still need preventative maintenance and possibly some minor repairs, but the expensive parts will be covered by the warranty.
- Replacing both inside and outside units at once is significantly less expensive than replacing outside now and inside a few years in the future.
- Older air conditioners often contain older refrigerants, the kind that harm the atmosphere when released and possibly cause refrigerant poisoning if they leak. Newer refrigerants are better and significantly less harmful to the environment.
- If you replace both inside and outside units at the same time, all of the components of the system are sure to be compatible. If you replace the outside unit this year and the inside unit in five years, you may end up with a system that is not perfectly compatible. An incompatible system may not cool as well as it should and may cost more to operate.
The one or both decision is much like a decision you may have faced with your car. It is expensive to replace the engine, and if you do, you have a car with a great new engine but concern about other car parts breaking down. Replace both inside and outside, and you have a new car.
Call the experts at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling at 480-616-3636 and make an appointment to discuss the options for air conditioner replacement or repair.
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