Frequent repairs: why and how to avoid them?
The second problem mentioned by Brett in his video is frequent and costly repairs.
When an A/C unit starts requiring frequent repairs, service visit after service visit, it is safe to assume that age can be the fundamental issue.
But sometimes, age does not really explain unusual wear and tear observed on a system. Premature aging has at least one cause. Usually, the lack of a proper maintenance schedule left a space for a bad condition to settle in and cause damage.
The older the damage, the more likely it will cause a very costly repair. Changing a motor, for instance, is really expensive. HVAC motors are built like tanks, they are made to last 12-15 years while functioning 24/7, 365 days a year. When a motor fails, the root cause is very rarely the motor itself. Much more often, it’s the result of some other part of the A/C overworking the motor. If, for instance, an evaporative coil is loaded with debris that has been baked by high temperatures, the system can’t operate under normal conditions to cool off the home at the desired temperature. The motor will ahve to work extra-time to reach the set temperature. This overworking cause unusual wear and tear.
It would have been much easier to clean up the evaporative coil during the regular air conditioning service inspection.
Frequent and costly repairs indicate a lack of proper maintenance.
What about nickel-and-diming?
When an A/C unit starts nickel-and-diming you, that is also an indication of defective maintenance. Your system has not been inspected often enough, or not deep enough to detect small failures. For instance, the current controller of the system has been slowly drifting out of specifications. On a regular inspection & maintenance schedule, any HVAC technician worth his salt will test the current controller and notice the degradation in performance. A good current controller costs a couple hundred dollars. That’s not cheap, but that’s better than having to replace a system because of a failure in the current controller.
The number of small failures increases as a system ages. Wear and tear is inevitable, even when an A/C is built like a tank. We have seen A/C units still cooling off after 18 years of service. But their operation had become costly in parts, and costly in power. As a system ages, its loss in efficiency increases its power usage because it requires to work longer to cool off the same volume.
Power in Tucson is not free, to say the least (unless you have a solar system, in which case, it’s not as expensive). When your air conditioner needs twice as much time to bring your home to the temperature you like, your power bill starts giving you a cold sweat. That’s nickel-and-diming.
What can you do to help yourself?
Believe it or not, you are probably the best technician for your home. You are so familiar with your home that you can be alerted of any unfamiliar noise, clunk, cling, brrrrr and thud when it happens. Most air conditioners in a state of failure will make loud noises: a sudden big “clunk!” for instant. Very often, the noise is not so obvious but still present. For instance, you hear that your A/C starts, then stops. Then starts, and stops. And restarts, and stops again.
These noises are sure signs that your air conditioner is experiencing some kind of failure.
Another example is your A/C seems to run much longer than usual when it’s the same temperature outside (no big difference, no big jump from the 90s into the 100s). Or it does not cool off as fast. You notice it because you go to your thermostat more often just to see if it is still set right, or if a member of your family has turned it up because he or she was too cold. As you go to your thermostat for the second time in the same day, check out the temperature displayed. If this is abnormally high and yet your system is running, your thermostat is telling you that your A/C is not performing optimally.
Don’t wait! Waiting is a surefire way to see cascading failures happen. A small problem is not taken care of right away. This stresses another part in the system. Then a second small issue starts appearing. Then a third. That’s a series of cascading events that result in bigger and bigger damages to your A/C, and ultimately, catastrophic failures. So don’t wait: when you hear an unusual noise or you observe an unusual power usage, call D&H AC at (520) 664-3699 without delay. It’s the right time to act.
We’ll come out fast, fix the problem and guarantee our work.
What if it becomes necessary to replace an air conditioner?

Let’s say that you called D&H for air conditioning repair service because your A/C just stopped working altogether. Our HVAC technician comes to your home a few hours later, and find out that there is a series of repairs that have to be performed, and that the cost of the repairs really make no sense considering the age of your system.
At this time, it is usually much more economical to install a new air conditioner.
What happens then? Our HVAC technician will tell you exactly what the problems are, the cost of repairing them, and how long you can expect your A/C to continue functioning properly after repair. If you are open to the idea of receiving one of our highly trained Comfort Pros into your home, D&H AC will call you to schedule an appointment.
The role of the Comfort Pro is to advise you to the best of the knowledge he was trained on by manufacturers and by D&H, in your selection of a new air conditioner. To this end, our Comfort Pro will take measurements of your residence, and will ask you a number of questions related to how your future air conditioner must help your lifestyle.
Outdoorsy people don’t have the same needs, for instance, as people who prefer to shell inside. Families do not have the same A/C needs as “empty nesters”. These questions will help refine the profile of the A/C system you will feel good with. They will also determine the price range that is affordable for your household, and your financing options.
Selecting an air conditioning system is not a light decision. This unit will stay with your home for at least 12 years, and probably more like 20 years. It will have a resale value when you list your home. It may also have “curb appeal” when people visit your home with a realtor. Not all brands and not all models have the same curb appeal.
The role of the Comfort Pro is to help you make the right selection that blends all the criteria you cover with D&H AC.