When its cold outside, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously critical to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace problems, you may be wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will decide upon which option is best for you. Your Charleston area HVAC professional can help you judge your needs and your current HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the appropriate short- and long-term answer for your Charleston 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., less than 10 years of system life — odds are highly likely that any issues it exhibits can be solved through repair. Furthermore, if your furnace is still heating your Charleston area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still in your best interest to repair it. Typically, as long as you are not seeing a trending 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 regarding furnace repairs is that if the repairs you need are less than one-third of the cost of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its expected lifetime, repair is likely your best choice. Don’t forget 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 Charleston home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these solutions could boost the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Pardee 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 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 begin to fail more and more often. Accordingly, if your furnace is already at least 15 years old, it is time to think about replacement. Regardless of the age of your furnace, 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 an easy 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 appropriate 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. Furthermore, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized according to specs for your Charleston 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 Charleston home’s heating system is right for you, contact Pardee Service Experts today.