That can’t exactly be called an age-old question, but if your furnace is 15 going on 20 years old, it is might relevant.
It must be: if not, why would you have sought out this blog in the first place? Because, chances are, you either have an aging furnace or one with a repair problem, and you’re not sure if you should repair or replace it.
Let’s get to the ultimate answer first: neither this blog nor any other one on the planet can give you a definitive answer to your question. To do that requires giving your furnace a thorough inspection, and then advising on what we view as your best options. We’re perfectly qualified and happy to do just that, but first, we’d like to offer you several leading indications that, at the very least, you have a repair problem on your hands. And if makes no practical or economic sense to repair it? Then it’s time for a replacement system you can soon start enjoying for up to another 20 years, perhaps even longer.
Typical Furnace Warning Signs
- Loud noises. A well designed, installed, and maintained furnace should be felt, not heard. If your furnace is all of that and still banging away, there’s a problem with its warm distribution system that needs to be thoroughly checked out.
- Hot and cold spots. If you’re nice and toasty in your living room and shivering mess in the bedroom, and so on, once again you have an air distribution problem on your hands with various potential causes. Hopefully a simple repair will be all it takes to have you feeling warm and toasty no matter where you might roam indoors.
- Skyrocketing heating costs. Every year you no doubt prepare for slightly higher heating costs and, if anything, you’re pleasantly surprised should they even go down a little. But if they’ve not only gone up, but way up, that can’t be blamed on the rising utility costs. Something’s up with your furnace, old age or otherwise.
- It takes progressively higher thermostat settings to keep warm. With any luck, this is the simply the result of a faulty thermostat. Or, it could be general wear and tear in combination with an aging furnace causing the problem.
- More dust to clean. Dust and other indoor air pollutants can build up in several places within your heating system, and not just the filter. If added dust is the only problem you’re experiencing, perhaps your furnace just needs a good cleaning and a new filter.
Here’s one thing we know for sure: you don’t have to live with an inefficient, dusty, or otherwise imperfect furnace. Not so long as Optimum Air is on hand to make things right again. For the professional and dependable home heating (or cooling) you want, contact us today.
