Repair or replace an air conditioner after 20 years

30 degrees at home: the 20-year-old air conditioner that needs replacing

A 20-year-old air conditioner isn't repaired: it's replaced. The math is stubborn: every expensive refrigerant recharge and an efficiency that falls below the 10-year useful life turn a breakdown into an economic verdict. But in the middle of a heatwave, the replacement theory clashes with the urgency of getting one night's sleep.

A bedroom thermometer goes from 25 to 30 degrees after the unit fails. The owner checks the warranty - expired - and calls the insurance company, which offers a "patch-up" until the end of summer. It's the classic loop: the technician comes, charges, and leaves the zombie unit running one more week.

Humidity finishes the job: at 30.9 degrees and 68% relative humidity, the mugginess becomes a sauna. Madrid's dry heat is not the same as the humid heat of Punta Cana at the same temperature. The body cannot sweat to cool down and sleep goes out the window.

While the decision is made, the solution is a silent one: taking refuge in the room that does have air conditioning, at mum's house. A residential patch-up that doesn't solve the underlying problem: climate change doesn't care about warranties.

The forecast is that this summer will keep claiming veteran units. Some owners will squeeze the insurance year after year; others will finally ask for a quote to replace the unit. The question is whether the heat will beat fiscal laziness before August.