They are an unsung hero of the modern American home.
Routinely, without any praise or recognition, our furnaces faithfully produce heat throughout the coldest times of the year— keeping us safe and comfortable, season after season of frigid Ohio weather.
However, despite having been made strong and meant to last a long time, sooner or later the time eventually comes in which a problem arises with heating equipment as it ages.
As time goes on, in fact, eventually homeowners must decide whether to continue dumping money into an outdated system that’s going to require replacement sooner or later, or whether to just go ahead with the replacement to opt for a more modern furnace that is likely to save them in the long-term
If this is you, if you are faced with this decision and you feel like you’re backed up into a corner uncertain which way to go, take a deep breath and relax. You are definitely in the right place. We are here to help you — to put your mind at ease.
As such, without further ado, we at Springboro Heating & Cooling, present the following to help guide you through this complex decision:
Should I replace my heating equipment, or continue to make repairs?
Although we don’t have a silver bullet solution — there is no clairvoyant crystal ball or magical formula — to tell us with 100 percent confidence exactly when a homeowner should replace their aging furnace before it turns into a money pit, the following considerations are what we, the HVAC professionals, use to help homeowners decide:
Installation Date & Maintenance History
The average furnace lifespan is usually between 15 and 20 years. Because this varies a great deal from unit to unit, we also look at the furnace’s maintenance history, as proper seasonal maintenance substantially increases the efficiency and lifespan of the system. In any event, whenever heating equipment is within this age range or older, it’s a good idea to prepare it for proper replacement. Other factors influencing a furnace’s lifespan include how well it was installed, whether it was installed professionally, and how well repairs have been made.
Repairs Needed
On top of the furnace’s installation date, or its age, and its maintenance history, we next need to analyze the home heating system’s repair history and record and the costs of the repairs and their prevalence. When furnaces have not required a lot of repairs, and when the repairs have been relatively insignificant and inexpensive and more permanent or long lasting solutions to the problems, the system is in good shape as far as we are concerned with considering this factor.
Nevertheless, if the necessity for repairs has been a frequent or recurring thing — if they are becoming expensive and if they are what would be considered more like short-term solutions that are impermanent — this is something we need to factor in because we want to avoid allowing the unit to become a sort of money pit. You don’t want to be spending too much repairing a furnace that’s going to need to be replaced soon anyway.
Furnace Replacement Formulas
Some HVAC experts use the following repair cost formulas to guide homeowners in this decision-making process:
With the first formula, you take the furnace’s age and you multiply that number by the cost of the repair you’re looking to make. With the number you get from that, you compare it to the quoted cost of the replacement unit.
If the first number is more than the quoted costs of replacement, (if Age ✖ Repair Cost ﹥ Replacement Cost) they suggest getting the new system.
The second formula is an alternative, and it’s even simpler. All You do is compare the cost of the repair needed to the cost of a new furnace. If the Repair Cost is over one-third the cost of replacement, many experts suggest installing the replacement unit.
Performance & Heating Costs
Once we’ve analyzed the system’s age, maintenance record and repair history, next it’s important we consider the furnace’s performance and efficiency. We also get a breakdown of the heating costs and how they’ve changed over the years. A lot of people fail to recognize that they’ve become comfortable, or accustomed, to paying more to heat their home. In many cases, there’s a misperception that increases in heating bills are unrelated to the furnace’s performance. As such, many of our customers are delighted by how much they save when they replace their outdated furnace. Furnace technology has advanced tremendously since they installed their furnace all those years ago. As such, one of the key takeaways here is that rises in heating expenses are usually the result of a furnace that isn’t performing as well as it should.
Keeping Home Comfort in Mind
Although this is the last factor we list as something to consider, it’s clearly not the least. Home comfort levels should always be taken into consideration anytime a homeowner is trying to decide to replace any sort of HVAC equipment.
If your heating source has problems sustaining comfort levels, or sustaining your desired temperature setting, there’s a problem. If you’ve been dealing with home comfort issues, if your home is subject to having hot and cold zones, give us a call! We would be more than happy to send you one of our highly-skilled HVAC technicians to help Utilizing cutting-edge HVAC tools and technology, one of our team members can perform in-depth, advanced diagnostic tests on your furnace and provide you with a detailed and accurate assessment of the problem and recommend solutions. The men and women we hire as technicians are highly screened and highly vetted employees of our growing company. We have the absolute best men and women available in the HVAC industry. They are trained in-house extensively in ways that go above and beyond state requirements. They are absolutely committed to each and every customer’s needs and always offer completely honest evaluations along with a variety of options to choose from as solutions. As our customer, your home comfort and air quality concerns are our top priority. Our team members speak candidly with you, in a friendly way, about all your home heating system options. They will kindly answer any questions that might arise to help guide you in this sometimes difficult decision making process.
In the end, no matter what course of action you choose to take, we always have your back 100 percent. Additionally, we guarantee your satisfaction as our customer 100 percent.
Call us for home heating solutions you can trust!
At Springboro Heating & Cooling, it’s our mission to offer residents throughout Warren County and beyond the most affordable HVAC solutions in the market — always using the highest quality products with a level of service that is unparalleled. Regardless of whether you are leaning towards furnace replacement or whether you are only looking to make repairs, we are always committed to you, the customer. We are more than happy to come to your residence and help you out. Your needs and concerns are our top priority.
To schedule an appointment, get a free estimate, learn more or to speak with an expert, give us a call today at 937-600-6834. For your added convenience, you can also click here to schedule an appointment now online!
