If your furnace is over 10 or 15 years old, it may not last another winter or two here in Plano, TX. Luckily, your furnace will exhibit signs that a failure or its end of lifespan may be approaching. Here are three signs that it’s time to replace your furnace.
Inefficient Performance
As your furnace ages, it begins to degrade. While regular maintenance helps, after about 15 or more years, performance and energy efficiency decrease, often raising monthly energy bills. A new system could make your home more comfortable and use less energy.
Signs of inefficient operation include abnormally short or long cycles or unusually cool air leaving the vents. Besides failing to reach your set temperature, the furnace may exhibit other unusual signs like loud, continual banging or grinding noises during operation.
More Frequent and Expensive Repairs
Consider what repairs you’ve recently required for your heating system. If they include costly jobs like a motor replacement and these haven’t improved the system’s performance, then a replacement could be a good idea.
Maybe you’re facing a serious repair right now on your older furnace, such as a cracked or rusted heat exchanger. If you combine the high cost to fix this with any increase that your monthly bill has been seeing, then a new furnace will likely save you money in the long run. The general rule with older furnaces is to replace it if a repair is close to 50% of the price of a new system.
Nearing End of Expected Service Life
Perhaps most importantly, you have to weigh the price of repairs with the age of your heating system. Under ideal circumstances, a gas furnace can last 15 years and an oil or electric furnace around 20 or 25 years. A major repair may be worthwhile if your unit is relatively young, but you’ll want a professional’s opinion before moving forward.
Samm’s Heating and Air Conditioning can send a trained technician to your home in Plano and surrounding areas for a heating repair or installation, so call us at your earliest convenience. We’ll help you choose an affordable, energy-efficient furnace and back the installation with a factory parts warranty and lifetime workmanship warranty.
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