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Some homes don’t have central air units. You might use box fans or ceiling fans if that’s the case. You may also install window AC units that can cool specific rooms in your home. A window unit can chill your bedroom so that it’s comfortable during the blazing summer months.
If you do install central air in your home, you should enjoy that very much during the summer. You can turn on the central air and relax in comfort, even when the weather outside is sweltering.
You can always run into problems with your central air unit, though, just like you can with virtually any other appliance or system in your home. If that happens, you may need to contact a Delaware AC repair company. There are several trustworthy ones with the expertise and training to fix whatever is happening with your central air unit.
Let’s talk about how you can tell something is wrong with your central air.
The Central Air Isn’t Cooling the House
If you turn on your central air unit in the summer, and it seems to be running okay, you should expect the house to cool down quickly. If it doesn’t, you can tell something is wrong.
The air not cooling strongly indicates that something is going on with the unit itself that needs attention from an HVAC company. However, it’s not inconceivable that something might be happening with your ductwork as well.
An AC repair company can take a look at your unit, and they can also check the ductwork to make sure there’s nothing impeding the air’s flow. If you have kids, maybe one of them dropped something into the ductwork. Some AC repair technicians will tell you horror stories about clothing and children’s toys dropped into the ductwork that they had to reach in and fish out.
Only Some Parts of the House Are Cool
If you turn on the air conditioner and the whole house isn’t cooling down, you might suspect there’s something wrong with the unit. If it’s only chilling some parts of your home, though, that likely means something is happening with the ductwork in a specific section.
A blockage is the most likely scenario. That might not be the only reason, though. Some AC units these days have smart thermostats that run them. You can program them to cool certain parts of the house more than others.
If you notice some parts of the house are less cool than others, you may have unintentionally set some parts of the house to cool while instructing the system to ignore other areas. You can change that by reprogramming the thermostat or using the app on your smartphone. The HVAC repair person can help you with that as well.
You Might Need Replacement Parts
Each central air unit comes with certain parts that need to be functioning correctly in order for you to get the best results when you turn it on and run into during the summer. You need your HVAC company to check the unit periodically to make sure none of the coils or the other system components need to be replaced.
Getting maintenance done to your AC unit is just the same as getting your furnace checked every fall before winter starts. You can also equate it to a mechanic checking your car every once in a while to make sure your fluid levels are good, and there are no other problems lurking.
If you get regular maintenance for your central air unit, you might not get blindsided by some problem with it. If you wait until something goes wrong, that’s usually going to be a more costly fix.
Also, if you wait until the system breaks down before calling an HVAC company, there is no guarantee that they will be able to get to you right away. They might have to schedule a service call in a few days if they’re super busy right then.
At that point, you can either try to contact a different repair company, or else you can wait and sweat it out until your preferred one arrives.
When Must You Replace Your Entire AC Unit?
If you get a central air unit for your home, and it’s brand new, you can probably get 15-20 years of use out of it. You might get even longer if you arrange for regular, yearly maintenance appointments and upkeep.
If you move to a house with central air, you should try to figure out how old the existing unit is. You might ask the previous homeowner. They may be able to tell you, or they might not know themselves.
If you get an HVAC company to come look at your old unit, they can probably tell you the year it came out and the model number. They can take a look at it and estimate how much more usable life it has.
After 15 years or so, most central air units start becoming obsolete. The cost of finding the replacement parts starts becoming prohibitive. Much like an outdated car model, you will likely pass the time when it makes sense to keep fixing it. Instead, you should just replace it.
Replacing Your Central Air Unit
You might get a new central air unit for anywhere from $8-15K. If you have a very large house and need a high-end, powerful AC unit to cool it, that can get even more costly.
Paying multiple thousands of dollars might seem prohibitive, but if you live in the Southwest or another part of the country that gets very hot, having a newer-model, working AC unit becomes necessary. If you don’t have one, you’re going to be miserable for most of the year, not just during the summer.
Buying a new central air unit is an investment, but it can become a major selling point if you ever decide to move on from that house. Consider that when looking at the available models.