Repair or replace your AC

Age

This Old House puts the typical life of a home cooling system at 12 to 15 years. A Bakersfield system works harder than most: Meadows Field averaged 51.8 days at 100°F or more a year over 2016-2025. Find the age on the data plate of the outdoor unit; the manufacture date is often coded into the serial number, and the technician can read it.

A lot of houses in Rosedale and Seven Oaks were built between 2000 and 2008, so many of their original systems are now near or past 20 years.

The size of the repair

• Small: capacitor, contactor, drain line, thermostat. Usually worth fixing at any age.
• Medium: fan motor, a refrigerant leak that can be found and fixed. Worth it on a younger system.
• Large: compressor or coil. On a system past 12 to 15 years, get a replacement price first.

The $5,000 rule

A common rule of thumb multiplies the repair cost by the system's age. If the result is over $5,000, it says replace. It is a quick filter, not an answer: it ignores efficiency, the condition of the ducts, and whether the house was ever comfortable with that system.

Refrigerant

If your system uses R-410A, the EPA says it can still be repaired. A system old enough to use R-22 is another matter: that refrigerant has been out of production for years, and topping it off is expensive. The refrigerant change.

What replacement costs

Fixr puts a new central AC, installed, at $5,800 to $14,400 and a heat pump at $5,000 to $15,000. Get at least two written prices. Installation and replacement.