When its cold outside, the condition of your home’s furnace is obviously fundamental to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace difficulties, you probably are wondering whether it is ultimately more sensible to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will help you resolve which option is best for you. Your Tulsa area HVAC service advisor can help you judge your needs and your struggling HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the appropriate short- and long-term answer for your Tulsa home.
When Repair Is Best
More often than not, furnace problems can be easily pinpointed 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 Tulsa area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still likely and more affordable to repair it. Commonly, as long as you are not seeing a trending increase in your heating bills with continual usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is deemed operationally sound. Our recommendation about furnace repairs is that assuming the repairs you need are less than one-third of the investment of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its expected lifetime, repair is likely your best decision. 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 technician about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Tulsa home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could boost the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Jack Nelson Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will add years of quality service from your furnace and help you minimize further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
Sometimes, repair is not your best option to restore your furnace to optimal function. The expected lifetime of most furnaces is 15-20 years; after which, 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 think about replacement. Regardless of the age of your furnace, if you’ve been calling your HVAC service provider for repairs too often, 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 ultimately cost you more money. There are several 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 Tulsa home size or heating needs. If your furnace isn’t sized or installed properly, you should consider replacing the system and starting anew, rather than continually addressing breakdowns and poor function.
If you have questions about whether repair or replacement of your Tulsa home’s heating system is right for you, contact Jack Nelson Service Experts today.