During the winter heating season, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously vital to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace troubles, you might be wondering whether it is ultimately more sensible to repair or replace your furnace. There are several factors that will determine which option is best for you. Your Hillsborough area HVAC service advisor can help you assess your needs and your broken HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the best short- and long-term answer for your Hillsborough home.
When Repair Is Best
Oftentimes, furnace problems can be easily sourced and repaired by a ACE-certified, HVAC professional. If your furnace is new—i.e., under ten years — odds are highly likely that any issues it exhibits can be solved through repair. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Hillsborough area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still probable that you will repair it. Commonly, as long as you are not seeing a continuous increase in your heating bills with regular usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is deemed operationally sound. A good general rule of thumb about furnace repairs is that as long as the repairs you need are less than one-third of the investment of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its anticipated lifetime, repair is likely your best choice. Remember that even if you are experiencing a reduction in heating efficiency, there are other avenues you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC professional about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Hillsborough home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these solutions could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Fras-Air/General Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will ensure your furnace is in top condition and help you minimize further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
At times, repair is not your best option to restore your furnace to optimal function. The anticipated lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; thereafter, the heating system will begin to fail more and more often. Therefore, if your furnace is already at least 15 years old, it is time to discuss replacement. Irregardless of equipment age, if you’ve been calling your HVAC service provider for repairs too often, this could also be a sign that your heating system is failing and needs to be replaced. Although repairs may seem like a basic fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace operating for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges can add up quickly and cost you more in the long run. There are a variety of things that may determine whether replacement is best for you including the quality of your original furnace installation and the capacity of your furnace. A furnace is only as good as its installation, making proper installation essential. Furthermore, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized correctly for your Hillsborough home size or heating needs. If your furnace isn’t sized or installed properly, you should consider replacing the system and starting anew, rather than continually addressing breakdowns and poor function.
If you have questions about whether repair or replacement of your Hillsborough home’s heating system is right for you, contact Fras-Air/General Service Experts today.