During the winter heating season, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously fundamental 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 decide upon which option is best for you. Your Belleville area HVAC service advisor can help you evaluate your needs and your broken HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the appropriate short- and long-term answer for your Belleville home.
When Repair Is Best
Oftentimes, furnace issues 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 Belleville 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 steady increase in your heating bills with continual usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is functioning efficiently. Conventional wisdom relating to furnace repairs is that assuming 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 anticipated lifetime, repair is likely your best option. Remember that even if you are experiencing a decrease in heating efficiency, there are other avenues you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC technician about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Belleville home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these HVAC products could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to D&K Home Services by Enercare about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will add years of quality service from your furnace and help you minimize further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
In some cases, repair cannot restore your heating system to a minimally effective level. The estimated lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after which, the heating system will start to fail more and more often. Therefore, if your furnace is nearing or passed the 15 year mark, it is time to consider replacement. Beyond the factor of the age of your equipment, if you’ve been calling your HVAC service provider for repairs on a regular basis, this could also be a sign that your furnace is beyond help and requires a replacement. 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 many things that may determine whether replacement is appropriate 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 Belleville 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 Belleville home’s heating system is right for you, contact D&K Home Services by Enercare today.