As a homeowner, you will have to decide whether to buy a new furnace to replace the old one or to repair the old heater.
That is sometimes a tough decision, mainly if you have grown fond of your current heating system. Given that heating systems take over a decade to start showing any signs of wear. You are likely to grow fond of them.
These few recommendations may help you decide whether to buy or replace your furnace.
#1. Has Your Furnace Exceeded Its Life Expectancy?
The average lifespan of a furnace is fifteen to twenty years. This approximation depends on so many factors, including brand and furnace quality. But whether your heater is of the highest quality or the best of brands, it has to age.
When your furnace has reached fifteen years, and you are repairing it frequently, it’s time to get a new one.
With proper maintenance, a fourteen-year or younger furnace can still keep you very comfortable in your home.
You can think of other areas to work on instead, such as improving your home’s energy efficiency. You should also provide for proper and regular maintenance of your furnace to ensure that your furnace fulfills its life expectancy.
Your heater will start to show signs of wear and tear as it ages. These signs will lead to regular costly repairs. Repair costs that take up to fifty percent or more of the original purchase amount are on the higher side. The economical thing to do then is to get a new furnace installed instead of monitoring your old system through repairs.
#2. Increasing Energy Bills
A furnace that is not adequately maintained will lose its efficiency as it ages. That is true for all appliances in your home.
A furnace that loses its efficiency will require more energy to emit the same amount of heat it used to give when it was still new and in proper working condition.
Of course, other factors such as weather or supply and demand may increase the cost of energy. But your furnace may be a contributing factor to this. To make sure that your heater is not improving your power bills, compare your very recent energy bills with those of several years prior. Note the difference in heating charges from current costs with previous ones. A vast difference may mean that your furnace is what is causing the hike in energy bills.
#3. Frequent Furnace Repairs
Just the way an old car requires frequent repairs, so will your furnace when it ages. If your furnace has never had to be repaired frequently and suddenly you find yourself calling an HVAC maintenance specialist or Nortech Services every few months, it’s time to replace it.
If the cost of repair increases each time you call for a repair technician, you should get a new furnace. Frequent repairs are often signs that your heating system has reached its life expectancy.
But sometimes, much newer furnaces may have frequent repairs. If you notice that a recently installed heating system has made you call your HVAC technician several within the year or a couple of years, you need to get another technician. That is because your current technician may misdiagnose the problem.
#4. Your furnace has strange noises
As much as all furnaces have certain sounds when turned on or off, a strange noise that increases in crescendo may require replacement.
You should pay attention to the type of sound that your system is making. Is it humming, rattling, popping, or screeching? And where is the noise coming from? That will help you describe to your repairs technician for ease in problem diagnosis and repair.
Different noises and the places they come from stem out of several issues that may include motor failure, an unbalanced motor, nuts not appropriately secured, or deteriorating parts. Keep in mind that each case varies in severity. Therefore, some of your repairs may be more vital than others.
#5. You have to adjust your thermostat.
You need a new furnace when you walk into a room, and it’s either too chilly or too hot, and you always have to turn that thermostat to adjust it.
Have you noticed that your heater is emitting less heat this year compared to the previous years despite the same temperatures? Don’t assume it’s colder this year or that you are getting older. That’s why you can’t feel the heat. Though these could be causes, you also need to check your furnace to make sure.
A heating system that gets worse in efficiency after at least two heating seasons needs to be replaced.
Conclusion
To have the most efficient heating system in your home, you need to schedule regular maintenance. A regularly maintained furnace will excellently serve you before its lifespan expires. Furthermore, HVAC comes with warranties. So make proper use of the warranties before they expire. Increase your chances of enjoying your heating system with suitable maintenance services.
