This is a disquieting situation – when to replace your home furnace. Replacing home furnaces can be expensive, although with the new, more energy efficient, models it takes less time than ever to recoup your costs.
As part of an evaluation to determine if your furnace needs replacing, we suggest you call in a professional heating contractor for their advice and feedback. However here are some tips, signs and indications that you may be on the road to a new furnace.
If your furnace is more than 15 years old than the day is not far off when you will need to replace the unit. The good news is that there are energy efficient models on the market that will positively impact your heating bills. When you are in the market for a furnace, look for an ENERGY STAR qualified furnace. These furnaces are at least 15% more efficient than a furnace without the ENERGY STAR pedigree.
If your furnace is aged, requires frequent repairs, and your energy bills are creeping up, then it is likely you need to replace your furnace as it is becoming less efficient. Less efficient can mean things such as some rooms are too cold. However we should caution that if this is one of the symptoms than you need to check on the insulation in these rooms to make sure that is not the issue.
If your home is developing humidity problems this could be another sign that your furnace is becoming less effective and efficient. Now it could also be that leaky ductwork is responsible for this problem as well. This is why we recommend a heating contractor. They can narrow down the causes of the problem and determine if in fact you need to replace your furnace, shore up your insulation or add duct tape.
Excess noise from your furnace could indicate the demise of the unit as well. Again a heating expert can discern the exact issue of what is going and advise you accordingly.