Don’t Get Left Out in the Cold! Here’s how to Check if Your Furnace Needs Replacement
Although your furnace is an important part of keeping your home comfortable, it won?t last forever. Even the best heating and cooling systems need maintenance. Your furnace has a lifespan like any other appliance in your house. Get to know the warning signs of a faulty furnace: you?ll want to repair or replace the problem components before it becomes unsafe.
A good place to start is to assess the age of your furnace system. The average life span of a furnace is about 15 years ? and that?s with proper maintenance. If your system is close to this age, you should start shopping for replacements. A local furnace repair company will not only determine the age or your system but will gladly install a new one for you when it is time.
If your furnace hasn?t quite reached that age yet, you?ll want to monitor several components to determine if there?s a problem. First, check your heating and electric bills. If they are spiking without any reason, your furnace is probably functioning improperly and inefficiently. As they age, their efficiency decreases which in turn costs you more money in gas bills. The furnace repair cost will be significantly less than a year’s worth of wasted energy.
Next, check your furnace?s maintenance history. Have you made any furnace repairs in the last two years? If your system hasn?t been serviced in quite some time, you may want to consider a routine maintenance check. Furnaces tend to breakdown more easily in the last years of their life, so if your furnace is getting older, yearly checkups are encouraged.
Finally, you?ll want to check the efficiency of your furnace by judging the heat in your entire home. If some rooms are significantly hotter than others, your furnace may be struggling to distribute heat properly. This is a tell-tale sign of age and wear. If your thermostat doesn?t keep you comfortable in your whole house, it might be time to replace your HVAC system.
Call your local furnace repair company today to see what they can do for you!