If the day comes when you start pondering whether you should repair or replace your aircon, having the knowledge on whether an air conditioner needs a repair versus a replacement can save you time and money! Here is information to help you:
Equipment Age
When did you purchase your air conditioner? This factor increases in importance the older the equipment are because, at some point, repairs are no longer an option for you. This is because the service companies may not be able to source replacement parts to repair it. In fact, it could even be that the original manufacturer has since closed.
Finding old parts can be costly and time-consuming and the parts may be unstable. Your aircon could wait unused while replacement options are explored.
As soon as it’s fixed, something else might break and you are back to square one. Replacing parts on a vintage aircon is a waste of time and money.
Manufacturer
Non-name brand? The brand with no local agent? You set yourself up for problems when you ‘hooked’ that bargain. You are now looking at an increasing loss for costs of repairs, costs of shipping parts independently to Australia from overseas, wrong parts arriving, no parts arriving, and that you might not find a repairer willing to repair your machine.
Costs
An aircon replacement will give you longevity, whereas a repair will no doubt be followed by another repair when the next part goes.
Your older aircon may also be an energy glutton and a new one could be a long term money saver from improved energy efficiency.
Warranty
Should your purchase date means the equipment still has a valid warranty then a repair cost should be partially or fully subsidised. You will benefit particularly well if you have taken our previous advice and have chosen a top-notch, well-established brand that honours their warranties.
Unfortunately, if you chose a cheap import you might find the warranty is unenforceable in Australia.
Lifestyle
Older aircon has fewer features (and less efficiency) so, for example, you can’t operate it remotely through your phone or a device. Your 10-year-old aircon might not suit the renovated floor plan. Or, a split system was a brilliant choice then but ducted air conditioning is now needed.
Take a step back and re-evaluate your heating and cooling system needs.
Health And The Environment
There have been ongoing heavy regulation changes to the HVAC industry e.g. removal of harmful hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). Australia is phasing out harmful HCFCs and your old beauty might be “illegal”.
Choosing between aircon repair versus aircon replacement needs careful consideration and ALL the factors need to be taken into account.
Talk to our experts who can give you honest and practical about the best option for your air conditioner replacement or repair decision.
