Daily temperatures continue to drop as we move further into fall. It’s going to get very cold indeed before too long, which means that now is a good time to make sure that your heating system is up to the task. If your furnace isn’t able to keep your home warm through another winter, now is a good time to replace it. You don’t want to have your furnace fail on you in the middle of winter. Have a look at some of the symptoms below to help you determine whether or not you should replace your furnace before the weather gets too cold.
Monthly Bill Increases
Using your furnace more frequently is obviously going to cost you more on a monthly basis. However, there’s a difference between that and an inexplicable upward trend over time. If your furnace seems to be costing more from month to month, regardless of how much you actually use it, then it’s time to have a professional check it out. That’s usually due to a buildup of wear and tear, which happens to all furnaces that are in use for long enough.
As the efficiency of the system drops, the furnace is forced to operate for longer in order to affect the same temperature changes. This is what causes the monthly bills to rise. If that’s the reason that your furnace is costing you more, the only thing you can do is replace it with a new one.
Repair Issues
Furnaces shouldn’t need repairs more than once or twice every few years. They certainly shouldn’t need to be repaired multiple times a year, or even every year. If your furnace is breaking down that often, it could mean that the system is nearing the end of its natural lifespan. The worn out parts of the system are beginning to fail from many years of use, causing the cost and frequency of furnace repairs to jump significantly. You can keep repairing your furnace for a while, if you want. Really, though, all that is doing is costing you more money than if you simply replaced the system. Consider having a professional technician evaluate your system to determine whether or not it needs to be replaced.
Old Age
The average furnace lasts between 10-15 years in ideal circumstances. That might change a little depending on your specific situation. However, you should not expect your furnace to last much longer than that without issues. A furnace that is older than 15 is much more likely to develop a variety of problems like those we’ve discussed above. It will gradually begin to cost more and more money to keep up and running. If you’re interested in being as cost-effective as possible when it comes to home heating, the right thing to do at that point is to replace it.
Area Heating & Cooling, Inc. offers a full range of furnace replacement services in Vancouver, WA. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our HVAC technicians.
