Signs that Your Commercial Air Conditioner is Failing

A reliable air conditioner plays a major role in keeping your business running efficiently in the muggy heat of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area’s summers. Because reliable cooling is so valuable, it’s important not to ignore the signs your A/C is nearing its last days. Paying attention to these signs will help you avoid a surprise breakdown.

Your Cooling Bills Keep Rising

Although the cost of utilities rises periodically, these increases alone shouldn’t cause a dramatic rise in your cooling costs. If you see an increase that electricity price increases alone can’t account for, the culprit is most likely your air conditioner itself.

With use, air conditioners gradually lose their energy efficiency. This happens no matter how well designed or well maintained the system. As its efficiency drops, the system requires more and more electricity to maintain the same indoor temperatures. That means you’ll see higher cooling costs with each passing year.

Your System Breaks Down Frequently

In a commercial building, an A/C breakdown costs more than just the price of parts and labor. Being left without cooling at the height of summer interferes with your ability to work and makes your place of business less inviting to your customers. To decide if breakdowns are costing you too much, review your air conditioner maintenance documents for two issues:

• Calls to a repair technician once a year or more.
• Less frequent, but very costly maintenance issues, such as compressor or evaporator coil replacement

In either case, it’s usually more cost effective to upgrade to a new air conditioner than to keep repairing the existing one. If you’re unsure, an air conditioning professional can help you decide.

You Notice Uneven Temperatures

In a large commercial building, an older air conditioner may be too worn to effectively cool the whole building. You’ll then end up with hot and cold spots or uncomfortable temperature fluctuations. You might have heard your employees or customers complain that certain parts of the building are too hot or chilly regardless of where you set the thermostat temperature.

Your Indoor Air Quality is Getting Worse

Older air conditioners often lose their ability to circulate air effectively, so you might notice your building is becoming increasingly stuffy or dusty. This is more than a nuisance because it can leave your employees with health issues such as increased allergy or asthma symptoms as well as headaches and fatigue.

Funny smells coming from your A/C are another indication it’s due for replacement. An overheating motor, failing compressor, or other malfunctioning component sometimes emits unpleasant odors that are then circulated through your duct system. Mold growing on your components can also cause strange smells. Sometimes it’s safer to replace these components rather than attempt to clean them.

The System is Old

Most commercial air conditioners have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years, but several factors affect how long any individual system lasts. Heavy use wears a system out faster, as does skipping preventive maintenance and forgetting to change the air filter. Problems caused by incorrect sizing or installation can also lead to early failure.

If your system is 10 or more years old, it’s time to start planning for an upgrade. Not only will a new system perform better, but today’s air conditioners are up to 50 percent more efficient than those built just 10 years ago. Planning ahead gives you plenty of time to choose a cooling system that will meet your needs and fit your budget.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection, and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial, and Residential settings. For more information about air conditioner replacement and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!

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