How Old is Your Current Unit?
Age is the first thing we look at. An air conditioner in Ohio works hard battling the summer humidity. Most units tap out around 15 years. If your AC is 8 years old, you fix it. If it is 18 years old and struggling, sinking money into a repair is a bad gamble.
When the Repair Bill Gets Too High
A failed capacitor is a cheap fix. A burned-out compressor or a leaking evaporator coil is a huge repair. The general rule is the 5,000 rule. Multiply the age of your equipment by the estimated cost of the repair. If the number is over $5,000, you are usually better off putting that money toward a new system.
The Old Freon Problem
If your AC was built before 2010, it probably uses R-22 Freon. That old refrigerant is banned from being manufactured. If your system springs a leak, adding R-22 is incredibly expensive. In most cases, finding a leak on an R-22 system means it is time to replace the whole unit.
Did Cottonwood Kill It?
Cottonwood season clogs filters fast every May and June. Those white seeds get sucked right into your outdoor AC coils. When the coils get plugged, the compressor overheats and shuts down. Sometimes your AC isn't dead at all. It just needs a heavy chemical wash to strip the cottonwood out of the fins so it can breathe again.
The Repairs First Rule
A lot of guys will walk up to a ten-year-old AC, see a blown fuse, and try to sell you a new unit. We don't operate that way. We enforce a strict Repairs First policy. We charge an $89 diagnostic fee to test the electrical and mechanical parts. If it is a basic fix, we do the job and get your house cooling again. We only tell you to replace it when a repair is a waste of your money.