Most central air conditioners last about 10 to 15 years. In Florida, where systems run most of the year, many land at the lower end of that range. The good news is that a few habits can add years, and a few warning signs tell you when to start planning
The compressor is the heart of your air conditioner. It circulates refrigerant between the indoor and outdoor units, and nothing cools without it. Florida systems run most of the year, so compressors work hard, and catching trouble early can be the difference between a repair and a much bigger bill.
Your AC runs, the thermostat reads the right temperature in the hallway, and yet some rooms never cool off and the power bill keeps climbing. In many Florida homes the ducts run through a hot attic, and even small gaps let cooled air leak out before it reaches the room.
You can hear the air handler inside, but the unit outside is silent, the fan isn’t spinning, or it hums without starting. The air coming from your vents is warm, and the house is getting hotter. The outdoor unit does the heavy lifting in your cooling system, so when it
The thermostat is the part of your system you touch every day, and it’s also the part that tells the rest of the system what to do. When it misbehaves, the AC can look broken even though the equipment itself is fine. Knowing the difference can save you a service
Refrigerant is the substance that actually absorbs heat from the air inside your home and carries it outside to be released. It’s sealed in a closed loop and isn’t supposed to run low the way a car’s oil does, so if a system is short on it, there’s a leak
A capacitor is a small, cylindrical part in the outdoor unit that gives the compressor and fan motor the jolt of power they need to start spinning. It’s inexpensive and easy to overlook, but it’s also one of the most common reasons an AC suddenly won’t start at all, especially
It seems like the obvious move: nobody’s home, so why run the AC? In most of the country, that logic holds up fine. In Pinellas County, shutting the system off completely while you’re away for more than a day or two can end up costing more than it saves, and
The box a filter comes in usually says 90 days. That number was written for a system that runs a few hours a day for part of the year, not one that runs close to around the clock for most of it. In Pinellas County, a 90 day filter often
The peak heat of summer is starting to ease, and it’s tempting to assume the AC can coast for a few months now that it isn’t running flat out every afternoon. In most of the country that’s a reasonable call. In Pinellas County it isn’t, because the system barely gets
