During the winter heating season, the health and operation of your home’s furnace is obviously fundamental to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace difficulties, you may be wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will determine which option is best for you. Your Orlando area HVAC professional can help you judge your needs and your broken HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the ideal short- and long-term answer for your Orlando home.
When Repair Is Best
In most cases, 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 experiences can be solved through repair. Additionally, if your furnace is still heating your Orlando 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 continual usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is deemed operationally sound. Our recommendation regarding furnace repairs is that if the repairs you require 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 decision. 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 technician about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Orlando home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will keep your furnace functioning its best and help you minimize further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
Eventually, repair will not be able to affordably resolve your issues. The expected lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after which, 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. 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 it’s time to consider replacement. 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 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. In addition, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized correctly for your Orlando 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 Orlando home’s heating system is right for you, contact Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning today.