If the temperature outside is chilly, the health and operation of your home’s furnace is obviously fundamental to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace troubles, you may 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 Birmingham area HVAC service advisor can help you assess your needs and your current HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the appropriate short- and long-term answer for your Birmingham home.
When Repair Is Best
Oftentimes, furnace problems can be easily identified and repaired by a ACE-certified, HVAC professional. If your furnace is new—i.e., less than ten years old — odds are highly likely that any issues it experiences can be solved through repair. Additionally, if your furnace is still heating your Birmingham area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you confirm this), then it is still likely and more affordable to 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 functioning efficiently. A good general rule of thumb regarding furnace repairs is that if the repairs you must get are less than one-third of the expense of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its anticipated lifetime, repair is likely your best choice. Keep in mind that even if you are experiencing a reduction in heating efficiency, there are other routes you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC professional about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Birmingham home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could boost the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Norrell Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will add years of quality service from your furnace and help you avoid further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
Sometimes, repair will not be able to affordably resolve your issues. The anticipated lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; thereafter, the heating system will begin to fail more and more often. Thus, if your furnace is approaching or past 15 years old, it is time to consider 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 furnace is beyond help and requires a replacement. Although repairs may seem like a simple 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 many things that may determine whether replacement is ideal 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 properly for your Birmingham home size or heating needs. If your furnace isn’t sized or installed properly, you might want to buy the correct unit versus trying to get the wrong unit to perform beyond it’s capacity.
If you have questions about whether repair or replacement of your Birmingham home’s heating system is right for you, contact Norrell Service Experts today.