If the temperature outside is chilly, the health and function 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 many factors that will decide upon which option is best for you. Your Rochester 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 Rochester home.
When Repair Is Best
In most cases, furnace problems can be easily diagnosed 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. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Rochester area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you determine this), then it is still likely and more affordable 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 deemed operationally sound. Conventional wisdom regarding furnace repairs is that as long as the repairs you need 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 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 Rochester home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could boost the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Strogen's Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will ensure your furnace is in top condition and help you prevent 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 expected lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; thereafter, the heating system will deteriorate and fail more and more often. Accordingly, if your furnace is approaching or past 15 years old, it is time to discuss replacement. Beyond the factor of the age of your equipment, if you require 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 operating 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 best 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 Rochester 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 Rochester home’s heating system is right for you, contact Strogen's Service Experts today.