If you've also taken good care of your 10- to 13-year-old system, an affordable repair might be worth it. Is the necessary repair minor, such as cleaning a clogged drain pipe or replacing a failed condenser? Then the repair cost alone may not be high enough for you to consider replacing your system. However, if your air conditioner is more than ten years old and the estimated repair bill is close to 50% of its value, the replacement starts to make more sense. If you have called an accredited air conditioning contractor to evaluate your air conditioning unit, then you should weigh the cost of any repair against the age and energy efficiency of the unit. An important factor to consider when deciding whether to repair or replace your existing air conditioning unit is your comfort level.
If your air conditioner is less than 10 years old, is well maintained and hasn't had any major faults, it may be best to repair the unit. If your air conditioning system is more than 10 years old and repair costs are more than half its value, unfortunately it's time to leave “Old Yeller”. If you have a relatively new air conditioning unit, unless the cost of repairs amounts to thousands of dollars, it rarely makes financial sense to replace it with a new one.
