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Originally Posted On: https://nerdheist.com/how-often-should-you-replace-your-air-conditioning-unit-299/

When you own a home, it seems like there can be a hundred and one things going wrong at any given moment. A tile in the bathroom starts to crack. Your roof is leaking in a rather inconvenient, hard-to-access spot. And just yesterday, your garage doors stopped working via the remote.

One thing on your property that you don’t want to go wrong is your AC unit. There’s nothing quite so annoying as having to come home from a long day at work during the summer to a hot house.

Knowing how often should you replace your air conditioning unit will help you prevent this scenario from happening by getting ahead of an absolute air conditioning failure. In this article, we’ll take a look at the average lifespan of an air conditioning unit so that you know when to replace yours. We’ll also look at various maintenance tasks that you can do to extend the longevity of your unit for as long as possible.

How Often Should You Replace Your Air Conditioning Unit?

According to government research, the average lifetime of a central air conditioning unit is 15 to 20 years. Thus, if it’s getting close to two decades since you replaced your unit, then chances are that you’re going to have to start budgeting a little more savings every month to address this task.

You’ll know when to replace AC unit when you start experiencing a few problems with it. The most tell-tale sign is simply a malfunctioning — the unit doesn’t cool air like it used to. Another sign is weird smells coming out of the unit. This typically points to a burnt blower motor.

How to Make Your AC Unit Last Longer

Once you’re through with the task of replacing an air conditioner, you’re going to want to make your new air conditioning system last as long as possible. In order for that to happen, you’re going to want to implement these maintenance tactics.

Firstly, make sure that you regularly replace the air filter. The air filter can get clogged up quite easily, which results in poorer filtering. This results in dirty and grime building up in your air conditioner unit that can cause it to fail faster.

Another maintenance task is to replacing fluid lines and ducts as they start to leak. Left unchecked, these leaks can result in mold growth that can spread to the entire unit.

Last but not least, make sure to regularly change the belt that drives the blower motor whenever it starts to show significant signs of wear. These signs include a lack of tension and cracking in the belt’s rubber. Otherwise, the belt could snap during operation and cause significant damage to internal components.

HVAC, Made Simple

With this guide under your belt, you should now know how often should you replace your air conditioning unit and how to make your new last.

For more home improvement advice, you’re in the right place! Be sure to take some time to check out the rest of the website!