An ageing central air system usually shows its age gradually
Most air conditioners do not stop all at once. They run longer on warm afternoons and the house never quite reaches the setting. The air from the vents feels cool but not cold. The upstairs stays a few degrees warmer than the main floor. You may notice ice on the copper line at the outdoor unit, water pooling near the furnace, a louder hum or rattle outside, or a breaker that trips more than once in a season.
A few things are safe to check yourself. Make sure the thermostat is set to cool and the setting is below room temperature. Look at the furnace filter and replace it if it is grey and clogged. Check that the breaker for the outdoor unit is on, and clear leaves, grass clippings or stored items from around the outdoor cabinet. If ice has formed, switch the system off at the thermostat and let it thaw.
Leave the rest to a technician. Refrigerant, the electrical components inside the outdoor unit and the indoor coil are not owner jobs. If the system has a single, clear fault, our air conditioner repair page explains how that visit goes.
Some faults point toward replacement rather than repair
A failed compressor on an older system is the most common reason people start looking at a new unit. The compressor is the heart of the outdoor unit, and replacing it on an ageing system often costs a large share of a new one. A refrigerant leak that has been topped up more than once is another sign. The leak is still there, and the refrigerant keeps escaping.
Corroded coils, an outdoor unit that no longer matches the indoor coil, and a system that has never cooled the house well are also good reasons to compare options. When we see one of these, we explain what we found and give you a written price for the repair and for a replacement, so you can weigh them side by side. Nothing is fitted until you have approved the number.
Binbrook's houses need different kinds of cooling
The older houses in the village core along Highway 56 and Binbrook Road were built long before central air. Many started with oil or coal heat and were converted to gas later. Their ductwork, where there is any, was often sized for heat alone and can be too small to move cooled air well. For these homes a ductless system, with indoor heads in the rooms that need them, is often the cleaner choice.
The mid-century detached houses along Binbrook Road usually have a mid-efficiency gas furnace vented through the chimney, and many of those furnaces are near the end of their life. Because the air conditioner's indoor coil sits on top of the furnace, it can make sense to plan both together, or at least to choose a coil that will suit the next furnace. See furnace installation and replacement if you are weighing both.
The newer subdivisions and townhouses around Fall Fair Way, Fletcher Road, Royal Winter Blvd, Binhaven Blvd and Reid Ave N are built tight. The usual problem there is equipment that is too big for the house. An oversized air conditioner cools the air quickly, shuts off, and leaves the house feeling damp and clammy. A smaller, correctly sized unit runs longer, pulls more moisture out and is easier on the parts.
The system is sized to the house, not to the old label
The size of the unit being replaced is a starting point, not the answer. Houses change. Windows get replaced, attics get more insulation and basements get finished. We measure the rooms, note the windows and which way they face, and look at insulation and air sealing to work out how much cooling the house needs.
We also look at the ducts. Supply and return sizes decide how much air the system can actually move. A new outdoor unit pushed through undersized returns runs loud and cools unevenly. Sometimes a return-air change does more for comfort upstairs than a larger unit would, and we will tell you when that is the case.
If you are replacing the air conditioner anyway, it is worth asking whether a heat pump would suit you. It cools in summer the same way and can also carry part of the heating load in spring and fall. Our heat pumps page explains cold-climate and hybrid options and the rebate programs we check before you decide.
How an installation is done
The first visit is for looking and measuring. We talk through how the house feels in summer, check the electrical panel, the furnace and the ducts, and look at where the outdoor unit or ductless heads can go. You then get a written price that sets out the equipment and the work. You approve it before anything is ordered or fitted.
On installation day the old equipment is disconnected and removed. The outdoor unit is set level on a pad or wall bracket, the refrigerant lines and wiring are run, and the indoor coil or ductless heads are fitted. The lines are pressure tested and pulled into a vacuum before the system is charged, and then the system is run and checked for airflow and temperature. Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. Where the job involves the gas furnace, work is performed by TSSA-certified gas technicians.
Before we leave, we show you the thermostat settings, where the filter goes and how to keep the outdoor unit clear. We also explain the manufacturer's warranty terms, including any registration step, since most manufacturers expect regular servicing. A seasonal maintenance visit keeps the drain clear and those terms met.