Your home wouldn't be comfortable without air conditioning. As a result, about 84 percent of all homes in the United States have some kind of air conditioning, according to Warner Service. In fact, statistics show that the United States is the leading country when it comes to air conditioning use worldwide. This means that once your air conditioning system starts misbehaving, you must quickly figure out whether you should repair or replace it. Here are some of the signs that you need AC replacement.

1. Moisture and Humidity Buildup Problems

Apart from controlling temperature, your AC also has the job of controlling humidity and moisture. This function is performed by the evaporator coil, which extracts warm air from the interior, cools it, and returns it back inside. As this is happening, it's normal to see some moisture leaking outside of the unit. However, as the unit ages, or if it gets broken, it might become less efficient at removing moisture from the inside of your home. As a result, your indoors will feel clammier. As the problem gets worse, you might even start seeing fog on your windows.

2. Weird Smells and Noises Coming From the AC

When your AC is functioning as it should, there shouldn't be any rattling, squeaking, or grinding. Therefore, once you start hearing unusual sounds from the AC, this is a sign that something is wrong. The best way to determine whether it's time to get a new unit is to get someone to inspect it.

Similarly, if you start detecting weird smells coming out of your vents when the AC is running, it's also a sign that something is terribly wrong. The air that comes out of your AC shouldn't have any bad odor. In fact, it should smell clean.

3. Your HVAC Has Outlived Its Life Expectancy

Under normal circumstances and with proper maintenance, an HVAC unit should last about 20 years. After this, it would be wise to consider AC replacement. Once your unit goes past this age, it will start using more energy than it should, and you will start noticing unusually high energy bills. Therefore, it's wise to replace any unit that's past 20 years old.

These are some of the signs that it's time to get a new AC. You shouldn't wait until your AC is totally dead for you to start thinking of an AC replacement. A faulty AC can even cause health problems. Therefore you should take it seriously.