Do You Need a New Air Conditioning System?

Sitting out on the front porch sipping ice tea with lemon can be a little slice of heaven. But not everyone feels as heavenly about it if night after night, that's where they are instead of in their cool, air conditioned home. Summer is the time that air conditioners break down regularly. No one wants to make that call to the A/C repair person when they are dripping with sweat. Here are a few tips to help you find a solution to your air conditioner problem.

Many times, A/C companies will try to get consumers to buy a brand new central air conditioning unit. Not only is this unnecessary, it is also very expensive and time consuming. So, how do you know if you really do need a new air conditioner or if repairing the one you currently have is the answer to your heat-soaked prayers.

Check out the filters. When your filters are dirty, things like dust and dirt get trapped in the filters and prevent air from flowing freely. An easy fix is to check your filters, use the actual vacuum hose on them, or replace them on a regular basis. It's one of the main air conditioner parts that is easy to access. That way, you'll keep your A/C running lean and clean.

Find out if you have any leaks. This is a very difficult situation. Repairing leaks is a major expense and can cost you lots of dollars in energy bills. However, you do not need a new system if the problem is a leak in the current system. Make sure you explore every avenue of finding and repairing the leak before you look into getting an entirely new system.

Have a qualified technician come out and do a check up. Many times, we don't even know what kind of parts are in our system when we first purchase a new home. Having a technician come out and do a tune-up; much like you would on a car, can help find any damaged or poorly made parts. Then, you're in the position of merely replacing a part; not an entire unit or central air system. You may also want to shop around a little bit checking out reconditioned parts or getting a second opinion from a qualified A/C repair technician. Don't jump at the very first offer!

As with any type of mechanical repair work, don't attempt to do it yourself, unless you really, really know what you are doing. Simply getting into an air conditioning system and banging around or tightening or tweaking things may cause more harm than you know. Always check with a qualified professional technician before you start trying the DIY approach. After all, the DIY approach may end up costing you more time, effort, energy, and stress.