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 difficulties, you probably are wondering whether it makes sense to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will determine which option is best for you. Your San Antonio area HVAC technician can help you assess your needs and your struggling HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the best short- and long-term answer for your San Antonio home.
When Repair Is Best
In most cases, 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 — odds are highly likely that any issues it has can be solved through repair. Additionally, if your furnace is still heating your San Antonio area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you confirm 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 regular 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 as long as the repairs you must get are less than one-third of the cost of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its expected lifetime, repair is likely your best option. Remember that even if you are experiencing a decrease in heating efficiency, there are other routes you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC technician about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your San Antonio home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will ensure your furnace is in top condition and help you minimize further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
Eventually, repair cannot restore your heating system to a minimally effective level. 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 approaching or past 15 years old, it is time to discuss replacement. Irregardless of equipment age, if you need your HVAC service provider for repairs frequently, this could also be a sign that your heating system is failing and needs to be replaced. Although repairs may seem like a basic fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace running for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges ultimately cost you more money. There are several 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. In addition, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized correctly for your San Antonio 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 San Antonio home’s heating system is right for you, contact Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air today.