Serving Richardson, Plano, Allen 
Your home’s furnace has a limited useful life of about 20 years under normal operating conditions. However, this assumes that you maintain it properly and make repairs as necessary. At some point, you’ll need to decide whether it makes more sense to fix it or replace it altogether. A number of factors will need to be evaluated when making that decision.
How Much Do You Use Your Furnace?
The weather in Plano tends to be cool enough during the winter months that you might run your furnace several hours per day. In most cases, that won’t be enough to result in undue wear or tear on the unit. However, dust, debris, and other materials can build up on fans, blowers, and other parts if you don’t adequately maintain it.
The extra weight of the debris can cause those parts to work harder than they need to. Ultimately, they could be at a higher risk of breaking or burning out before they should. Eventually, the furnace could be at risk of not working properly if it’s forced to operate with weak or broken parts.
Improper maintenance may also result in a gas leak or other problems that might be difficult to resolve without replacing the entire unit. Even if the unit is properly maintained, it may not run as efficiently as it ages. Therefore, if you want or need your home to be consistently warm during the cooler season, it may be ideal to get a new unit that’s likely more efficient than what’s currently in your home.
HVAC Unit Needs to Be Sized Properly
A furnace needs to be the proper size to work effectively in your home. If it’s too large, it may produce too much heat at once and will cycle too often. Excess cycling can create excess wear on the unit and cause it to burn out too quickly.
You may also deal with energy bills that are higher than they need to be and other issues keeping your home comfortable throughout the cooler months. If the furnace is too small, it may have trouble creating enough heat to keep your entire house warm.
The only way to rectify the issue is to replace the existing item with a new one. It may also be necessary to repair or replace ducts or other HVAC components to ensure they can handle the demands of your new furnace.
Is the Furnace Constantly Breaking?
If your furnace is constantly on the fritz, it may be a good idea to replace it even if a given repair job is a simple one. You’ll likely spend as much money on repairs over the long run as you would getting a new unit. Buying a new unit means that you’ll get a warranty to cover the cost of most repairs as well as a product that will need less maintenance overall. Service plans may be available to ensure that you complete basic tasks such as replacing air filters or having the unit cleaned at least once per year.
How Old Is the Furnace?
While age isn’t the only factor to consider when deciding whether to repair or replace a furnace, it’s still an important one. If your furnace was installed in your home more than two decades ago, it’s generally worth replacing even if it runs perfectly today. This is because it may be difficult or impossible to find replacement parts, which will increase the cost of any repairs that need to be done.
There is also a good chance that the unit is out of warranty, meaning you’ll need to pay for repairs out of your own pocket. Also, the fact that your unit likely isn’t as efficient as new products on the market today means that you’re probably paying more than you need to in heating costs each month. Ultimately, getting a new furnace to replace your aging one can be less expensive overall even if you’re paying more today.
Can You Afford a New Unit?
Although a new furnace may be less expensive in the long-term, it doesn’t mean you have thousands of dollars to pay for one. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to cover this expense, such as using a credit card, obtaining a home equity loan, or a personal loan. You might also be able to sell goods or save money over a period of weeks or months to buy a new furnace.
State or federal tax breaks may also help reduce the cost of furnaces or heat pumps that meet current efficiency standards. Depending on your circumstances, it may be possible to make repairs that the current unit needs today with the goal of buying a new furnace at some point in the next several months.
Your Furnace Might Not Be the Main Culprit
It’s possible that your furnace is having issues heating your home because ducts are clogged, broken, or don’t fit properly. Ideally, you’ll have ducts and vents inspected annually to ensure they can effectively funnel warm air throughout your house.
Otherwise, you may notice that rooms closer to the furnace get more warm air than those farther away because not enough air can get to those locations. You might also notice that the furnace is running constantly because a lack of airflow makes it impossible to get the house to your target temperature.
Over time, a furnace that constantly runs or cycles will need more attention than one that doesn’t. Assuming that the real issue is a clogged or broken duct, you may find that neither repairing nor replacing your furnace solves the problem for good. In addition to fixing the furnace, you’ll need to fix the ducts as well.
Give Yourself Peace of Mind
Buying a new furnace means that you’ll have a heating system that is ready to go whenever you need it for years to come. Meanwhile, making repairs might mean that your heating system will keep working for a few months or maybe a couple of years before it goes out again.
However, you can’t be sure that it will turn on when you need it during the heart of the winter season or if it will last when put under any sort of strain. If you have kids, elderly people, or pets living in your home, it may be best to put in a new system that you know will provide adequate comfort at all times.
Expert Furnace Services
Our team at Cool Experts AC can provide a variety of services in addition to installing or repairing heating systems. We can also remove lint from dryer vents, insulate your attic, or perform indoor air quality assessments. Finally, we can install cooling systems to keep your Plano home functioning well at all times. Feel free to give us a call today to schedule service or to learn more about how our heating installation services can help.
