As you're surely aware, your air conditioner is one of the essential appliances in your home. Without a functional AC system, the summer months may become a sweltering nightmare. That said, the air conditioner has a lot of moving parts that can degrade over time. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average lifespan of a typical home AC unit is between 15 and 20 years. When your AC starts to malfunction, how can you know if you should repair it or replace it? Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when making your decision.

Review the AC Maintenance Plan

AC maintenance plans involve a technician's periodic checkup of your air conditioner system, usually yearly, often just before the summer months begin. The technician checks the system to ensure that any minor problems won't become significant, expensive problems later. Most companies will charge a small fee for AC maintenance plans. If your AC system is getting periodic checks, your technician may mention when the unit is reaching the end of its viable lifespan. Take a look at your previous appointment notes for a reminder of how your last maintenance sessions went.

Consider Your Upkeep Habits

As a general rule, you should do your best to keep the air conditioner filters clean. AC filters catch dust and dirt before the air flows into the air conditioner system, meaning that over time, they become dirty and block airflow. This makes the air conditioner work harder to function. A good rule of thumb is to clean or replace the AC filters once every three months. Have you been keeping up with this? Whether you have or haven't will make an impact on the lifespan of your unit. When considering if you should repair or replace, take into account the degree of wear the unit has taken over time.

If the repair of an aging air conditioner system would cost more than the cost to replace it, it's likely time to replace it. A good reason for replacing an air conditioner is that HVAC technology is advancing continuously, becoming more energy efficient. A new air conditioner may be expensive, but it'll save some money in energy costs in the long run. Need help with your AC system? Give us a call at Spartan Air Solutions today! We'd love to help.