There is a presupposition that people need to break themselves of. Namely that if something breaks it must be poorly designed or there was an error in use or construction. This is not true, complex machines like air conditioners need repairs because of the complex and intricate nature of air conditioners. Air conditioning repair is required because fact that an air conditioning system contains digital, mechanical and chemical elements that must all work together and do so for an affordable price. Cars are expected to run for hundreds of hours without fault, but they are also expected to receive regular maintenance, an air conditioning system in a city like San Antonio, TX will receive the same extensive use without the regular maintenance. Most people don’t think of it until the system requires repair instead.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the average window unit costs between $60- 120 for a single room. For that we expect to get hundreds of hours of use without so much as a spit or shake from the unit. Central air units are more expensive, but they are even more complex. In cities like San Antonio, TX they will have run in some houses for hundreds of hours a week, and yet if it starts to make a spitting noise or there’s an unusual vibration sound we’re shocked that these uncared for systems have developed a fault.
One thing to keep in mind is that a well designed system is made within certain tolerances and will by its very nature start to wear down with time. Mechanical parts can grind each other till they don’t catch any more, seals can age and create a leak, and chemicals may grow inert. These aren’t caused by mistakes but instead by the very nature of things themselves. While not the actual cause it might be better to think of it like entropy, or the scientific principle that the universe is continually moving apart and becoming more disorganized. The more parts and elements to something the more likely something will break, and since the systems are interdependent once one part breaks the rest do.
What we should do instead of bemoaning that things break eventually is celebrate that we don’t need air conditioning repair more often, that these complex machines we rely on so much last so long. We should also be thankful that the air conditioning repair companies in San Antonio, TX can handle these complex machines and systems as quickly as they do. It’s a testament to the degree to which HVAC repair technicians invest into training and perfecting their job.
