The short answer to this is, “it depends,” but read on!

Did your air conditioner give out after a long and hard summer? Or maybe your heater quit on you last winter and you’re ready to get a new one before the winter arrives.  

When it comes to replacing your AC unit, or your entire air conditioning system, there are different views of when the best time is to look at replacing or upgrading to a central air conditioning unit. Some say off season, such as during the cooler months in Autumn or winter months when the cooling systems are not in high demand because the outside has cool air, believing the new price for a new air conditioner can be lower during that time, while others say wait for HVAC companies and retailers to offer rebates to get the best prices on a new AC system.

“Ah, it feels SO nice in here!” THAT is what we want to both feel and hear from others when they come into our home, and when it comes to energy efficiency and getting homeowners the best options for a new air conditioner that fits their home and is humming like a finely tuned racing car, Climate Control is the HVAC company of choice for many satisfied customers in the Kansas City metro!

If you suspect your AC unit may not be up to the task of keeping you cool much longer (or as cool as you’d like it to be) let alone working next summer, it may be a good idea to consider replacing your HVAC system with a new system now. The Comfort Bear and Team are here to help you decide if it really is time to do so, or if you can maybe get by with another HVAC system repair vs replacing that old system. 

If your air conditioner and heating system is under 10 years old and hasn’t had a lot of repair needs in that time and has had regular tune-ups and regular maintenance as needed, it’s a different story, than one that’s over 15 years old and has had multiple issues like refrigerant leaks, compressors, condensers, adding freon every year, and so on. We’ll elaborate below, as we go through the reasons you may want to consider replacement of your old system with a new high-efficiency central air conditioner instead of continuing to go through AC repair after repair as well as higher energy bills:

If there’s anything homeowners know, it’s the importance of a fully functioning, efficiently operating air conditioner during a Kansas City summer. When you set your thermostat and turn on your air condition system you expect cool air to flow from your ductwork, but if instead you feel hot air, or hear squealing from your blower motor, or hear terrible noises from your outside unit, you know it may be time to call a HVAC technician to perform troubleshooting and get your air conditioning system back to blowing cool air.

An air conditioner in disrepair will only cost you more money than it should, and leave you and your family feeling hot air, and feeling pretty uncomfortable. 

When the weather turns hot and muggy, we turn to our HVAC systems to provide air conditioning for our homes and businesses. When these AC units are activated, they can make all sorts of noises, however there are many noises your air conditioning unit should NOT make, and if they are loud noises then there’s an even larger cause for concern.

Homeowners and business owners alike understand the importance of maintaining their cooling systems, including both typical air conditioning systems and heat pump systems, as well as indoor units and outdoor units and keeping the air filters and other maintenance items replaced. If those systems need troubleshooting it often can require the expertise of a trained HVAC technician, but this post will try to equip you with what to watch out for (or LISTEN FOR) to know WHEN to contact a professional AC repair service like Climate Control Heating Cooling & Plumbing.

If you’ve ever noticed a leak by your air conditioner, call a plumber only to find there’s no leak in your plumbing? It’s possible it is because there is a leak from the air conditioner itself, which can be confusing to many homeowners, because after all; an air conditioning system doesn’t use WATER, does it?

Unfortunately, this is one of those things that while on the onset is relatively minor, can grow into something bigger. A leaking air conditioner can be quite the issue. Read on to learn more!

Comfort Bear here again! I sure hope summer is treating you well so far. I’ve gotta say, this excessive heat we’ve had this past week is no fun. Did you know bears can’t sweat? I have to stay cool in other ways—stretching out and laying on the cool ground, panting, and going for lots of swims.

Well, and by making sure my heat pump is in cooling mode and ready to do its job effectively and efficiently this season!

In our last blog post, we talked about what to do if your heat pump wouldn’t switch to cooling mode. Hopefully, you’re not still stuck in heating mode—but perhaps even after you fixed your heat pump, it doesn’t seem to be keeping you cool?

With temperatures already in the 80’s, we assume you’ve already tried to turn on your HVAC/air conditioner, or if you have a heat pump, that you’ve tried to switch your year-round heat pump from heating mode to cooling mode. 

If you’ve just tried to switch modes to discover it won’t actually go into cooling mode, what can you do? Assume that your HVAC system has broken down completely, throw it out, and rush out to buy a new one? No, no, we’re not going to encourage that at all.

Instead, give us a call for an inspection and potential repair, and in the meantime read on to learn what could be causing this problem, and discover some possible heat pump system solutions and heat pump troubleshooting that you can do yourself, versus assuming you need a new capacitor, refrigerant charge or heat pump repair.

For most of you humans, you tend to view your air conditioners as a luxury, and your heating systems as a necessity.

For Comfort Bear, it’s the exact opposite. If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you might remember how sentimental I got about having to replace my furnace, even though I barely used that thing.

But now you’re asking me to replace my air conditioner?

Just as a reminder: what you consider to be a “relaxing summer day” is a sweltering inferno for me. I need my AC to keep my fur cool!!

But no matter what you say, I don’t have to give up my AC that easily. Unless my air conditioner is displaying the right combination of issues, there’s really no reason to have my AC replaced so soon—and neither should you!

Here are the signs to look out for:

If you know Comfort Bear in summer, then you know there’s nothing I love more than feeling the cool air from the air conditioner blowing across my fur. It can get really warm under here, after all.

So you can bet that I’ll be calling up the HVAC technicians from the office if my air conditioner suddenly starts having air flow problems. You can find air flow problems easily by putting your hand up to the air vent, or by feeling if some rooms of the home are warmer than others.

If I suspect my AC isn’t outputting air like it’s supposed to, there are a few things I can do to fix the problem myself. If that doesn’t help, I’ll then call an expert to have them do some inspections. Here’s how that process goes:

At the office, everyone keeps asking, “Comfort Bear, aren’t you excited? Winter is over!”

To be honest… No, I’m not. Winter is the only time of year that I can feel comfortable! I’ll have no choice but to blast my AC as soon as temperatures start rising. If my home isn’t colder than an igloo, you can bet that I won’t be happy.

What’s that? I should just cut my hair? Nope, not happening!

So, if I don’t want to suffer through the heat this summer, then I’ll need to make sure my air conditioner is ready for the season. After all, firing up your AC without any maintenance is just asking for it to break down on you at the worst time!

Before you run your air conditioner this year, take the time to have it inspected by a professional. They’ll be able to find any potential problems that might affect the efficiency or performance of your system. Some examples of those problems include: