During the winter heating season, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously critical to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace troubles, you might be wondering whether it is ultimately more sensible to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will decide upon which option is best for you. Your Hilton Head Island area HVAC service advisor can help you evaluate your needs and your broken HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the best short- and long-term answer for your Hilton Head Island home.
When Repair Is Best
More often than not, furnace problems can be easily identified and repaired by a ACE-certified, HVAC professional. If your furnace is new—i.e., less than ten years old — it stands a very good chance that any issues it exhibits can be solved through repair. Furthermore, if your furnace is still heating your Hilton Head Island area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still probable that you will repair it. Commonly, as long as you are not seeing a steady increase in your heating bills with regular usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is deemed operationally sound. A good general rule of thumb regarding furnace repairs is that as long as the repairs you must get are less than one-third of the investment of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its predicted lifetime, repair is likely your best decision. Don’t forget 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 professional about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Hilton Head Island home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these HVAC products could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Epperson Service Experts about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will add years of quality service from your furnace and help you avoid further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
Eventually, 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 nearing or passed the 15 year mark, it is time to consider replacement. Irregardless of equipment age, if you require 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 simple fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace functioning for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges will add up and cost you way more than buying new. 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. Also, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized properly for your Hilton Head Island 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 Hilton Head Island home’s heating system is right for you, contact Epperson Service Experts today.