Should You Replace or Repair your Furnace?
Your furnace is a key part in keeping your home comfortable during the winter months. It is important for it to run efficiently and safely. Regular maintenance and inspections by our certified HVAC specialists can help to extend your system’s lifespan. However, there will always come a point when you start to wonder, should you replace or repair your furnace? The lifespan of a furnace varies. There are many factors that come in to play: the quality of the system, the age, how well it is maintained, and how much it is used. Regular maintenance will help find issues before they become problematic – but repairs can become costly. How do you know if it’s smart to hire an HVAC company to service and repair a furnace versus just purchasing a new one?
REPAIRS – you should consider repairs if your furnace:
- Is 12 years old, or younger
- Has regular maintenance – which means there most likely won’t be any big “surprise” issues in the near future
- You can also spend time in other areas of your home to try to keep things more energy efficient. The more heat you can keep inside your home, the less work your furnace will have to do
- Upgrade to energy efficient windows and doors
- Have your ductwork inspected for leaks
- A general rule for repairs: pay for a repair if a) your furnace is less than 15 years old and b) the repair will be less than half of what a new furnace will cost
REPLACE – you should consider replacing your furnace if:
- It is 16 years or older (average lifespan for furnaces today is 16-20 years)
- Your energy bill has increased drastically compared to previous years. If you notice an increase in your heating expenses, it is time to start looking for a new furnace. The extra money spent on heating bills could go toward the cost of a new furnace instead.
- You hear strange noises
- Your furnace has needed more repairs in the past two years than any other time. A clear warning sign is an increase in repairs – furnaces will usually need more repairs than usual in the last two years of life
SHOP – time to buy a new furnace
If your furnace is more than 15 years old, or if it needs more repairs than usual, it’s time to start shopping. Even if you are planning to run your furnace until it dies (although this is definitely not recommended), you don’t want to wait until the furnace has gone kaput to start looking for a replacement. More than likely your furnace will die during the colder part of the year because that is when it is being used. So the question is, how many nights do you want to spend shivering in your own home? If you are forced to purchase a new furnace ASAP, you probably won’t be able to get the best deal, or even really know what it is you’re looking for. By shopping around ahead of time, you can compare prices and determine which furnace model is the best fit for your home.
When faced with the question, “Should you replace or repair your furnace?”, it can be difficult to know what to do. A new furnace is expensive, but repairing an old, inefficient furnace can cost almost as much. Knowing when to give your current furnace a little TLC, or when it is time to throw in the towel is something we at Weather Crafters can help you with. Give us a call and we will share our expert knowledge with you. Whether you want help picking out a new furnace, determining what that annoying clanging noise is, or are just in need of some routine maintenance – we’ve got you covered. Don’t wait until your furnace goes out to contact us. Give Weather Crafters a call today.
For more information when deciding if you should replace or repair your furnace, check out https://www.nationalheatingandac.com/blog/repair-or-replace-furnace
