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In most cases, the answer is yes. There are a variety of reasons why you should replace both the outdoor and indoor unit simultaneously. For starters, air conditioner and heat pump outdoor units are manufactured to work with a matched indoor unit. When you mix and match units, it can result in reduced efficiency and performance. Also, if you bought your indoor and outdoor units at the same time, your indoor unit will probably be approaching the end of its useful life at about the same time the outdoor unit. By not replacing the indoor unit too, all you’re doing is delaying the inevitable and likely paying higher energy bills at the same time. By purchasing indoor and outdoor units simultaneously, you’ll get a warranty covering the whole system, meaning that you won’t have to cover the full cost of any needed repairs to your unit during the warranty period.

There are a lot of reasons why your air conditioning system might freeze up, and all of them require help from a professional technician to resolve, as only they have the training and correct tools to fix the problem. Ironically, low refrigerant can cause your system to freeze up. Over time, wear and tear to your system can result in leaks that cause the system to lose refrigerant. When your unit loses refrigerant, it causes the system to freeze up because of low pressure inside the system. When freon levels are low, the refrigerant still is forced to expand to the same amount. The more that expansion occurs, the cooler the temperature produced. The colder temperature will cause moisture in the air around your unit’s evaporator coil to freeze, eventually icing up the coil and impeding its function. Dirty evaporator coils can cause units to lose airflow and, eventually, cause the system to freeze up. Defective blower motors can also cause freezing.

Once a month is a pretty good rule of thumb for most people. Depending on where you live and how much dirt, pet dander, and other contaminants are present, the answer could be more or less. Check your filter frequently to determine if it’s dirty. If it is, change it.

An air conditioner leaking inside the house is a common problem. It could indicate that the air filter is dirty. Or, one of the following may be the culprit: Clogged condensate drain line Leaky, damaged, cracked or rusted drain pan Dirty or broken coils Frozen evaporator coils Broken condensate pump Not enough refrigerant Disconnected drain line If your AC is leaking, contactGale Winds Air & Heat II to find out what the problem is — and how much it will cost to fix it.

Your air conditioner should have about 20 BTU per square foot of living space, according to Consumer Reports. However, you should also account for other factors in the room. If it’s a very shady space, you can take off 10% of the square footage BTU calculation. If it’s sunny, add 10%. For rooms normally occupied by two or more people, you should add 600 BTU per additional person. Finally, if the room is a kitchen, add 4,000 BTU to your calculated square footage total. Contact Gale Winds Air & Heat II to find out what size you should get.

Heating and cooling units need to have scheduled check-ups to make sure everything is operating properly. HVAC experts recommend an annual inspection and service call by your heating and cooling company. Technicians should inspect your system, lubricate components, and repair or replace any malfunctioning components.

The SEER label on an air conditioner stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. This is a measure of the efficiency of either an air conditioning unit or a heat pump. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends replacing older AC units with energy-efficient models. Contact Gale Winds Air & Heat II for tips on how to select a new unit.

R-22 refrigerant and equipment are being phased out as Montreal Protocol regulations intended to reduce the impact on ozone take hold. As time passes, replacement parts and refrigerant for old R-22 units will become harder to find and more expensive, so replacing your unit now can save you some headaches in the future.