During the winter heating season, the health and function of your home’s furnace is obviously fundamental to your comfort. If you’re experiencing furnace difficulties, you might be wondering whether it’s in your best interests to repair or replace your furnace. There are multiple factors that will help you resolve which option is best for you. Your Long Island area HVAC service advisor can help you judge your needs and your current HVAC system to determine whether furnace repair or replacement is the ideal short- and long-term answer for your Long Island home.
When Repair Is Best
More often than not, furnace issues can be easily sourced and repaired by a ACE-certified, HVAC professional. If your furnace is new—i.e., under ten years — chances are very good that any issues it experiences can be solved through repair. On top of that, if your furnace is still heating your Long Island area home efficiently (your HVAC professional can help you verify this), then it is still probable that you will repair it. Usually, as long as you are not seeing a continuous increase in your heating bills with constant usage and your home is not having issues with uneven heating, your furnace is functioning efficiently. Conventional wisdom regarding furnace repairs is that assuming the repairs you require are less than one-third of the expense of a new heating system and your furnace is in the first half of its anticipated lifetime, repair is likely your best decision. Remember that even if you are experiencing a drop in heating efficiency, there are other routes you can explore before considering replacing your furnace. Talk to your HVAC service advisor about upgrading your thermostat or checking the integrity of your Long Island home’s ductwork to see if he thinks these enhancement could advance the efficiency of your furnace. Talk to Matz-Rightway about scheduling regular furnace maintenance, which will keep your furnace functioning its best and help you minimize further repairs or drops in efficiency.
When Replacement Is Best
In some cases, repair is not your best option to restore your furnace to optimal function. The anticipated 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. Regardless of the age of your furnace, if you need 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 simple fix, if they aren’t keeping your furnace running for years at a time, these frequent smaller charges can add up quickly and cost you more in the long run. There are many things that may determine whether replacement is best for you including the quality of your original furnace installation and the capacity of your furnace. Installation means everything in terms of furnace effectiveness. Furthermore, your furnace may be struggling if it’s not sized according to specs for your Long Island home size or heating needs. If your furnace isn’t sized or installed properly, you might want to buy the correct unit versus trying to get the wrong unit to perform beyond it’s capacity.
If you have questions about whether repair or replacement of your Long Island home’s heating system is right for you, contact Matz-Rightway today.