Do You Need a New Air Conditioner?
It’s the stuff of nightmares: It’s late July, and you’re spending time indoors to keep out of the summer heat. Suddenly, you feel like it’s as hot in your house as it is outside. Your air conditioning unit must be broken. What do you do?
Don’t panic! Your first step is to call the professionals at Meyer Heating & Air! We’re the St. Louis metropolitan area’s cooling experts. After you call us for an appointment or request service online, we’ll be on our way to getting you comfortable again.
Unfortunately, air conditioner repair isn’t always the best option. Sometimes you need a new air conditioner altogether. Fortunately for you, Meyer Heating & Air can help with that, too, and we’re ready to present you with all the available options for your home.
When to Consider Air Conditioner Repair
Air conditioner repair usually is a fraction of the cost of new air conditioner installation, depending on the diagnosis and condition of your unit. Repairing an existing one is a good choice for you if the repair you need costs less than the value of a replacement air conditioning unit, or if your unit is a newer model. It’s a decision you have to weigh carefully, of course.
Think of your air conditioner like a car. If your car was only a couple years old and needed regular maintenance or repairs, you’d let a trusted mechanic fix it for you and pay for the work to be done. That’s because it costs far less to do the repairs than it does to buy a new car. (And thankfully, most residential air conditioners are cheaper than a fresh-from-the-factory car.)
If you aren’t sure of the best solution, you can trust our expert technicians at Meyer Heating & Air to give you the best information available to help guide your decision with our professional, 24-hour service.
Benefits of Air Conditioner Repair
There are some benefits to paying a professional to repair your air conditioner.
- It’s often cheaper than purchasing a new air conditioner. A repair can save you money, especially if the problem is relatively minor.
- It’s a great opportunity to learn more about your air conditioner. Ask your Meyer Heating & Air technician questions about your unit to better understand how you can keep it running efficiently for years to come.
- It’s convenient. A repair often can be completed in a single visit, but an air conditioner installation can take longer because you will need to purchase new equipment and schedule a time for a technician to come out during the day to install it.
When to Consider New Air Conditioner Installation
It’s time to revisit the car metaphor! What if you had to take your car to your mechanic a lot? Maybe you’re in the garage every other month with a new issue. You’re spending a lot of money to keep your car on the road!
The same can be said of your air conditioner. If you’re regularly calling for air conditioner repair to get your old, worn-out equipment running again, sit down and add up all the money you’ve spent to do it. If that number seems expensive to you, it’s time for a brand-new air conditioner installation.
Now, let’s pretend your car has been declared to be totaled. You wouldn’t sink thousands of dollars into it to get it back into working condition. Instead, you’d purchase a new car because your money is better spent on equipment that is reliable and functional.
What if your car was so old, it was almost impossible to get replacement parts for it? Again, the same can be said of an outdated air conditioner. You should consider a new air conditioner if yours is so old, it still uses R-22 Freon. Starting in 2020, R-22 will no longer be made or imported to the United States, and the government has been slowly phasing it out over the past several years.
You aren’t required to buy a new air conditioner because ozone-friendly alternative refrigerants could still work with your unit. However, costs to continue servicing air conditioners as old as yours will likely rise because of this change. At this point, it’s probably time to prepare to purchase a new air conditioner.
Benefits of Air Conditioner Installation
Installing a new air conditioner comes with some worthwhile perks.
- Your new air conditioner will probably cool your home faster than your old, thanks to advancing technology.
- Your maintenance and repair bills will drop because of the reliability of newer units on the market.
- You’ll save money on your monthly utility bills. The newest air conditioner models are also some of the most efficient!
Lengthen the Life of Your Air Conditioner Unit
Although older air conditioners tend to run less efficiently than newer models, if you aren’t ready to replace your existing equipment, then you should be properly maintaining it. This includes a pre-season check-up by a pro from Meyer Heating & Air, to make sure your AC is set up to run at its very best. You should also be completing your own at-home air conditioner maintenance, like keeping the evaporator coils free from debris.
Running your air conditioner at a higher temperature can also help your unit last longer because it doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your house so cool. Choose the highest temperature you can still be comfortable at, and don’t set it any colder than that. Your energy bill will probably become cheaper as a result, too.
Protect your air conditioner from physical damage by avoiding storing boxes or other materials around the unit or exterior components, called the condenser unit. This also will allow air to circulate around your equipment, which can help it run more efficiently.
Cool off today with Meyer Heating & Air
Need to repair or replace your air conditioner? Let Meyer Heating & Air help you. We’re your complete air conditioning experts in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Call us 24/7 at 314-845-1929, or request service online.
