Most systems last ten to fifteen years, but age is only the first question. The clearer signals are repair frequency, rising bills, comfort problems the system used to handle, and whether the refrigerant it uses is still available.

Age, Honestly Interpreted

An air conditioner in the Hill Country accumulates runtime much faster than the same unit in a mild climate. Cooling season runs seven months, and during summer the system may run eighteen hours a day.

So a twelve-year-old air conditioner here has effectively worked harder than a twelve-year-old unit almost anywhere north of us. Furnaces run the opposite way — our heating season is short, and gas furnaces here routinely outlast their national average.

Past ten years, start planning. Past fifteen, you are on borrowed time with cooling equipment.

The Repair Math

A practical test: multiply the repair cost by the system’s age. If the result exceeds the price of replacement, replacing is usually the better decision.

The simpler version — if a repair costs more than a third of replacement on a system past two-thirds of its expected life, you are likely paying to postpone an inevitable purchase.

The scenario to avoid is spending significant money on a compressor or coil in year thirteen and then replacing the system anyway two summers later. That happens constantly, and it is the most expensive path available.

Refrigerant Availability

This one catches people off guard. If your system uses R-22, production has ended. Only reclaimed stock remains, and pricing reflects that.

On an older R-22 system, a refrigerant leak is often a replacement decision rather than a repair decision, because recharging it costs a substantial fraction of a new system and the leak will recur. R-410A is now being phased down as well, which affects the long-term picture on systems installed in the last fifteen years.

We tell you which refrigerant you have and what it means for the repair-versus-replace call.

The Bill Is a Signal

Compare this summer’s electric bills to the same months two and three years ago, adjusting for rate changes. A steady climb with no change in habits means the system is losing efficiency.

Efficiency decline is gradual enough that households acclimate to it without noticing. The bill is frequently the only place it shows up before something breaks — and a system working substantially harder for the same result is a system nearing the end.

Comfort Problems That Are New

Pay particular attention to problems the system did not used to have.

Rooms that were always warm are probably a duct or insulation issue, not an equipment issue — and replacing the system will not fix them. But rooms that used to be fine and now are not indicate declining capacity.

Humidity is the other tell. A system that holds temperature but leaves the house feeling clammy has usually lost the ability to run long enough to dehumidify. In a Texas summer that is a comfort failure even when the thermostat reads correctly.

When It Is Not a Judgment Call

Two findings settle it. A cracked heat exchanger in a gas furnace means replacement — it allows carbon monoxide into your air, and the part typically costs enough that repair rarely makes sense. A failed compressor on an out-of-warranty system past twelve years is almost always replacement territory.

What Replacement Changes

Beyond reliability, modern equipment is meaningfully different. Variable-speed systems run longer at lower output, which holds temperature steadier and removes far more humidity than the single-stage equipment most homes are replacing.

It is also the moment to reconsider the system type. Given our long cooling season and mild winters, a heat pump is worth evaluating, and a hybrid fuel system suits homes that already have gas.

Whatever you choose, the ductwork has to support it. New equipment on undersized or leaking ducts underperforms, and we evaluate that as part of any quote.

Deciding Before It Decides for You

The worst time to make this call is with no cooling in August. If your system is past twelve and struggled last summer, an evaluation now costs nothing.

We will price both paths — repair and replacement — with the reasoning behind each. Financing is available.

We serve Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Boerne, Comfort, and the surrounding Hill Country. Contact 72 Degrees or call (830) 468-5316.