During the winter heating season, the condition of your home’s furnace is obviously critical to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace difficulties, you might be wondering whether it makes sense to repair or replace your furnace. There are many factors that will determine which option is best for you. Your Fort Wayne area HVAC service advisor can help you evaluate your needs and your struggling HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the appropriate short- and long-term answer for your Fort Wayne home.
When Repair Is Best
More often than not, furnace troubles can be easily identified and repaired by a ACE-certified, HVAC professional. If your furnace is new—i.e., less than 10 years of system life — it stands a very good chance that any issues it exhibits can be solved through repair. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Fort Wayne area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you confirm this), then it is still likely and more affordable to repair it. Typically, as long as you are not seeing a continuous increase in your heating bills with constant usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is considered in good shape. A good general rule of thumb relating to furnace repairs is that as long as the repairs you require are less than one-third of the investment of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its expected lifetime, repair is likely your best decision. Keep in mind that even if you are experiencing a decrease in heating efficiency, there are other routes you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC technician about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Fort Wayne home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these solutions could boost the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Rolf Griffin Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will keep your furnace functioning its best and help you avoid further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
Eventually, repair is not your best option to restore your furnace to optimal function. The anticipated lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after this point, the heating system will start to fail more and more often. Thus, if your furnace is nearing or passed the 15 year mark, it is time to discuss replacement. Beyond the factor of the age of your equipment, if you require your HVAC service provider for repairs frequently, this could also be a sign that your heating system is failing and needs to be replaced. Although repairs may seem like an easy fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace operating for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges ultimately cost you more money. There are a variety of things that may determine whether replacement is ideal for you including the quality of your original furnace installation and the capacity of your furnace. Having your furnace installed properly is critical to the performance of the unit. In addition, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized correctly for your Fort Wayne home size or heating needs. If your furnace isn’t sized or installed properly, you will probably need to consider a new unit instead of dealing with a heating system that lacks the capacity to properly heat your home.
If you have questions about whether repair or replacement of your Fort Wayne home’s heating system is right for you, contact Rolf Griffin Service Experts today.