During the winter heating season, the health and operation of your home’s furnace is obviously vital to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace troubles, you may be wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are many factors that will decide upon which option is best for you. Your Ocala area HVAC technician can help you judge your needs and your struggling HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the ideal short- and long-term answer for your Ocala home.
When Repair Is Best
Oftentimes, furnace issues 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 — odds are highly likely that any issues it has can be solved through repair. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Ocala area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you determine this), then it is still in your best interest to repair it. Commonly, as long as you are not seeing a steady increase in your heating bills with continual usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is functioning efficiently. Our recommendation regarding furnace repairs is that assuming 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 anticipated lifetime, repair is likely your best option. Don’t forget that even if you are experiencing a drop in heating efficiency, there are other paths you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC service advisor about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Ocala 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
In some cases, repair cannot restore your heating system to a minimally effective level. The expected lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after this point, the heating system will begin to fail more and more often. Thus, if your furnace is already at least 15 years old, it is time to discuss replacement. Regardless of the age of your furnace, if you require 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 simple fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace running 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 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. Furthermore, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized according to specs for your Ocala 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 Ocala home’s heating system is right for you, contact Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning today.