When its cold outside, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously vital to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace problems, you might be wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are several factors that will determine which option is best for you. Your Jackson area HVAC professional can help you evaluate your needs and your current HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the ideal short- and long-term answer for your Jackson home.
When Repair Is Best
In most cases, furnace troubles can be easily pinpointed and repaired by a ACE-certified, HVAC professional. If your furnace is new—i.e., under ten years — 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 Jackson area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still in your best interest to repair it. Usually, as long as you are not seeing a continuous 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. Our recommendation about furnace repairs is that assuming the repairs you require are less than one-third of the cost of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its predicted lifetime, repair is likely your best choice. Don’t forget 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 Jackson home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Comfortech Service Experts 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 is not your best option to restore your furnace to optimal function. The estimated lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after which, 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 discuss replacement. Regardless of the age of your furnace, if you need your HVAC service provider for repairs too often, this could also be a sign that your furnace is beyond help and requires a replacement. Although repairs may seem like a simple fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace operating for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges will add up and cost you way more than buying new. There are a variety of things that may determine whether replacement is appropriate for you including the quality of your original furnace installation and the capacity of your furnace. Installation means everything in terms of furnace effectiveness. Also, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized correctly for your Jackson 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 Jackson home’s heating system is right for you, contact Comfortech Service Experts today.