This is a question we sometimes hear from customers who are looking to lower household costs. It makes sense for people to inquire about purchasing used AC equipment since so many other expenses for a home can be reduced by buying used. A car for example. Or furnishings. So why not buy a “previously owned” air conditioner, especially at times when people are looking closer at their budgets?
Well, there are many reasons not to buy a used air conditioner, and not a single HVAC contractor recommends it. Buying used when it comes to HVAC in Plattsburgh, NY is a major money loser in the short and long term. Below are a few reasons why:
Now here’s an unpleasant problem you may run into during the last days of summer: an air conditioning system that doesn’t work because the compressor has died. The compressor is the literal heart of a cooling system, since it’s the component that causes refrigerant to circulate through the system, turning a cool low-pressure liquid into a hot high-pressure gas. When a compressor is fried because of a burnt-out motor, an air conditioner turns into nothing more than a large fan.
“Short-cycling? What’s that?” We know it sounds like a strange circus act or a short-distance bicycling competition. But it’s a term for faulty behavior from a cooling system. If you hear your home’s AC starting and stopping multiple times over an hour, that’s short-cycling. This isn’t something you want to happen, since it spells trouble for your 
