During the winter heating season, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously vital to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace problems, you probably are wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will help you resolve which option is best for you. Your Denver area HVAC technician can help you evaluate your needs and your broken HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the ideal short- and long-term answer for your Denver home.
When Repair Is Best
Oftentimes, furnace problems can be easily diagnosed 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. Furthermore, if your furnace is still heating your Denver area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you determine this), then it is still in your best interest to repair it. Usually, as long as you are not seeing a trending increase in your heating bills with constant usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is considered in good shape. A good general rule of thumb regarding 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 decision. Don’t forget that even if you are experiencing a decrease 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 Denver home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these solutions could boost 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 avoid further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
At times, 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 begin to fail more and more often. Therefore, if your furnace is nearing or passed the 15 year mark, 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 on a regular basis, 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 functioning for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges ultimately cost you more money. 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. Having your furnace installed properly is critical to the performance of the unit. Also, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized properly for your Denver home size or heating needs. If your furnace isn’t sized or installed properly, you will probably need to consider a new unit instead of dealing with a heating system that lacks the capacity to properly heat your home.
If you have questions about whether repair or replacement of your Denver home’s heating system is right for you, contact Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning today.