The furnace is an asset in your home that you rely on year in and year out. When you turn the heat up, you just expect the furnace to kick on and begin to function flowing warm air throughout the home. What happens, though, when the heater stops working as you would expect it to? Repair bills are going to roll in, and you may start to question whether you should replace the furnace entirely, or try to continue with what you have. As HVAC Jacksonville, FL professionals, we want to shed some light on the topic to help you identify signs that it is time for a replacement.
The Age of the Furnace
One of the biggest signs that your furnace needs to be replaced has to do with its age of it. A high-efficiency and quality furnace is going to usually last you around 10 to 20 years as a rule of thumb. Once you get past that 20-year mark especially, you want to be thinking about a replacement.
It may not even be that the furnace no longer works. What happens is that as a furnace ages, the energy efficiency level it has is going to be reduced. Technology is also going to move forward with new efficient units being put out onto the market. The cost to run the aging furnace even if it does function still, may not be worth it compared to the price of just replacing it.
What is the AFUE Rating?
The AFUE rating is the score that your furnace is going to get about its energy efficiency. What is the rating of your system? Is it above or below a score of 90? When you are below 90, new units are certainly going to be able to run more efficiently for you, using less energy to function. Once you get below 90, or especially below a score of 80, you want to be thinking about investing in a replacement. An older furnace with a lower AFUE rating is going to be a drain on resources to continue to run regularly. The initial cost to replace it may seem a bit steep at the moment, but the long-term benefits are noteworthy.
The health of the Home
What is the state of the health of your pets and family inside the home? When you have an aging furnace, what you may find is that it is not creating quality airflow as it used to lead you to develop illnesses more often. If you have respiratory problems, this is only going to be exaggerated even further by an aging furnace. Always put your health first when it comes to this and refer to our HVAC Jacksonville FL for guidance.
Our team of professionals at J&W Heating and Air + Plumbing can assist you in your furnace assessment. The furnace tune-ups that we perform, as well as the guidance we can provide to improve your furnace performance, are necessary. Take advantage of our knowledge and be aware of acting on your aging furnace before it becomes a bigger problem than it should.
