We know that not everyone may need a new furnace right now, but it’s smart to learn the keys that would impact your decision when you do need to buy a new one. Below are the top 5 considerations that Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning advises our customers to think about during their evaluation:
1. Heating Repair Frequency
Just like any appliance, as furnaces age, the probability of frequent heating repairs increase. If your furnace is over 15 years old, those repairs can become significant. More common and costly repairs include blower motor failures, ignition control failures and heat exchanger failures.
2. Operational Cost
The efficiency of gas furnaces in Ravenna area homes today naturally influences your home energy bills, and the level of efficiency can vary tremendously depending upon the system you buy. Furnaces older than 15 years can be terribly inefficient, wasting up to 40% of the dollars you spend to heat your home. Even recently manufactured furnaces can waste up to 20%.
3. System Maintenance
A properly maintained furnace will operate more efficiently, lower the likelihood of expensive repairs and above all ensure your safety. After all, these are gas-fired appliances. Another point to mention is a properly serviced furnace will last longer before replacement is needed.
4. Tune-up Checks
Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning often receives questions concerning what truly can be done to tune-up or maintain a furnace and there are actually many important checks and calibrations in the process:
- Gas Pressure and gas valve calibration
- Cleaning and checking safety switches
- Cleaning the heat exchanger
- Inspecting the heat exchanger for dangerous conditions
- Cleaning the blower system
- Cleaning and replacement of worn ignition sensors
- And many others...
5. HVAC Maintenance Interval
A trained and certified HVAC specialist who has the knowledge, skills and experience to perform a tune-up must maintain heating equipment annually. To put it bluntly, without routine maintenance, frequent repairs combined with dated equipment are some of the more obvious signs of a need to replace your furnace.
Excessive energy costs and the interest to reduce energy consumption are also strong reasons to contemplate replacement of your furnace. In fact, an independent study by Decision Analyst suggested nearly 20% of homeowners who recently replaced their furnace specifically did so to lower their utility bills.
Ravenna area homeowners seeking more information are urged to call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning at 330-236-4793.