Like any appliance, an air conditioner does have a certain life expectancy. And this is a good thing to know since you want to avoid your A/C totally petering out on one of those 90 degree summer days–better to be prepared! Of course, it is impossible to give a precise number of years that any specific air conditioner will last. But here are some things to think about so you can try to evaluate your own air conditioner’s life expectancy:
- How often do you run your A/C? The more days you run the unit, the shorter the life expectancy will be. In Colorado, you can often get away with only using it on the very hottest days of summer, so your unit will likely last longer than someone’s in, say, Florida.
- Do you schedule yearly maintenance? Having an HVAC professional do a service call every spring is a great way to keep things running smoothly. A clean and well-maintained A/C will perform better and last longer.
- Does your A/C need repair? If your unit is getting on in years, the cost of a repair might not be worth it. If you’ll need a new system within the next few years anyway, it might make more sense to put the money towards a new installation.
In general, you can expect an air conditioner to have a life expectancy of about 12 to 15 years. But definitely consider the questions above when trying to determine whether or not you should be preparing to buy a new unit. We are also happy to come out and take a look and evaluate whether we think a new installation will be required in the near future. Just give us a shout at 720.876.7166 or [email protected].
