When it comes to home improvements, it’s fair to say that the work never seems to end. Once one project is finished, another soon begins.
Whether changing trends makes you want to redecorate, or faulty machinery requires urgent replacement, or rising bills makes your look for ways to improve your efficiency, there is always something to do on the house.
How to Know Whether Your Furnace Needs Replacing
How many years has your current system been in place?
The first step in determining whether or not it’s time to replace your furnace is to check its age. If the system is more than 15 years old, it may be time for an upgrade. The lifespan of a furnace depends on how much use it gets and where you live. For example, if you live in an area with mild winters and run your heater only occasionally while maintaining a moderate indoor temperature year-round, then this could cause problems for your unit down the road. A newer model will likely have better insulation properties and be more energy efficient than older models because manufacturers have been able to refine their designs over time based on customer feedback as well as technological advancements like digital controls that allow homeowners more precise control over their homes’ temperatures without having to adjust physical knobs manually every time they want something different from what was set before; these types of changes mean less wasted energy due to missteps like forgetting what setting was last used before turning off lights/appliances etcetera. There are benefits to investing in a more modern furnace too. Newer furnaces are more efficient and can heat your home more effectively than older models. They also tend to run quietly and efficiently, which means less wear on both the furnace itself and the ductwork leading from the furnace into rooms throughout your house.
What can you hear?
If you hear strange sounds or smells, call a professional to inspect it. If your furnace is making odd noises, it may be time to replace it. If you hear any weird noise coming from your HVAC unit, that’s a sign to get it checked out.
How warm is your home?
Determine if you have adequate heating to all rooms of your home. Check for drafts and cold spots. If you notice that a room is colder than the rest, it might be time to replace your furnace. If your furnace is running constantly but still not providing enough heat to warm up the house, it’s likely a sign that something is wrong.
What is your home’s energy usage like?
To get an idea of how much energy your house uses, you’ll need to measure it. It’s time to do some Math! Here are some steps to calculate your home energy usage.
- Measure the length and width of each room in your home.
- Measure the height of each ceiling, including any vaulted portions (if you have an attic or basement).
- Add up all these measurements to get an estimate of how much space there is in your home. Then use this number along with some simple math to calculate an average square footage per room for comparison purposes. For example: If there are four rooms in my house with dimensions as follows: 4 x 8′ = 32′, 2 x 4′ = 8′, 9′ x 12′ = 108′ + 20′. That adds up to 240 sq ft per room – which means that my average square footage per room is 240/4=60 sq ft (or about 15 sq ft/person).
To Repair or Replace?
Should you replace your furnace, or does it just need a repair? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer, so if you need an assessment quickly, it’s best to call out an expert, like a heating installation Las Vegas business, to decide whether your furnace can be repaired or if needs to be replaced. However, if you want to carry out a bit of self-assessment, there some things you can do to try and figure out what problem your furnace is suffering from.
- The first thing to check would be your filter. Many people forget about them and neglect to change them regularly which leads to not only problems with their furnace but also poor air quality in the home. A dirty filter or one clogged with dust won’t be allowing air to flow freely through it therefore heat will be getting out through air vents instead of going to the rooms that need to be warmed up. It’s best practise to change your furnace filters every three months during the autumn and spring, and once a month during summer. The higher count of pollen leads to more dust and allergens in the air. If you take a look at your filter and it appears to need changing even though you do it regularly, that can be a sign that your furnace is not working efficiently.
- Check the temperature gauge and if it reads above 90 degrees F, it could indicate a blockage in the air ducts that needs cleaning. To do a little bit of that yourself, use a vacuum cleaner and an attachment designed for cleaning air vents. While this won’t clear any deep blockages, it will do something to help. A trained HVAC technician will be able to do the rest of the cleaning.
- Look to see if any lights are flashing on the control panel. If there are any flashing lights, this indicates that there could be something wrong with the circuit board inside the furnace. Don’t try and sort this out yourself but get a certified technician in to do the job. Also, don’t waste too much time in doing so as a faulty circuit board could lead to more damage, or a complete system burn out if you leave it too long.
The Bottom Line
If your furnace is more than 15 years old and has frequent service calls, it may be time to replace it!