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 problems, you may be wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are several factors that will decide upon which option is best for you. Your Columbia area HVAC technician can help you evaluate your needs and your struggling HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the best short- and long-term answer for your Columbia home.
When Repair Is Best
More often than not, furnace problems can be easily pinpointed 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. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Columbia area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you determine this), then it is still likely and more affordable to repair it. Typically, as long as you are not seeing a trending increase in your heating bills with continual usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is considered in good shape. Our recommendation relating to furnace repairs is that assuming 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 expected lifetime, repair is likely your best decision. Remember that even if you are experiencing a drop 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 Columbia home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could improve the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Midland Air Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will ensure your furnace is in top condition and help you avoid further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
In some cases, repair will not be able to affordably resolve your issues. The anticipated lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after this point, the heating system will deteriorate and fail more and more often. Thus, if your furnace is nearing or passed the 15 year mark, it is time to think about replacement. Irregardless of equipment age, if you require your HVAC service provider for repairs frequently, this could also be a sign that it’s time to consider replacement. Although repairs may seem like a basic fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace running for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges ultimately cost you more money. There are several 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. In addition, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized correctly for your Columbia 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 Columbia home’s heating system is right for you, contact Midland Air Service Experts today.