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 might be wondering whether it is ultimately more sensible to repair or replace your furnace. There are several factors that will determine which option is best for you. Your Atlanta area HVAC professional can help you judge your needs and your broken HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the appropriate short- and long-term answer for your Atlanta home.
When Repair Is Best
More often than not, furnace problems 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 — odds are highly likely that any issues it experiences can be solved through repair. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Atlanta area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still probable that you will 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 considered in good shape. Our recommendation regarding furnace repairs is that assuming the repairs you need 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 choice. Keep in mind 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 professional about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Atlanta home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could boost the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Peachtree Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will keep your furnace functioning its best and help you prevent 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; thereafter, the heating system will start to fail more and more often. Thus, if your furnace is already at least 15 years old, it is time to think about replacement. Irregardless of equipment age, if you’ve been calling your HVAC service provider for repairs on a regular basis, 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 functioning for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges will add up and cost you way more than buying new. 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. 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 properly for your Atlanta 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 Atlanta home’s heating system is right for you, contact Peachtree Service Experts today.