If this winter pushed your home’s furnace to the limit, it may be time for a replacement. Your Roanoke heating experts at Southern Trust Home Services can tell you what your options are.
Furnaces typically last between 15 and 30 years. Once your furnace is more than 15 years old, it may be time to start thinking about a replacement, depending on what your furnace is doing. If you hear noises, such as screeching, humming or rattling, they’re typically caused by a problem with the blower or blower motor or the draft inducer motor. Replacing either of those can be pricey. If you hear a bang coming from your furnace, that’s a sign that there’s a problem with the ignition system. It means gas or oil is being released, collecting inside your furnace, and then being ignited.
As furnaces age, their performance deteriorates. You may have noticed that your energy bills are getting higher. The burner flame looks yellow instead of blue. It may not be heating the whole house evenly anymore. You need to call us for repairs more frequently. We offer a furnace tune-up with a five-year no-breakdown guarantee, but even though we are the top heating experts in the area, we’re not magicians. If you have a furnace that’s more than 15 years old and you’re looking at repairs that cost more than 50 percent of the price of a replacement furnace, it’s time to get a new furnace. If your furnace is much older, it gets to a point where any repairs really aren’t worth it.
Don’t wait until it’s an emergency. It’s smart to consider replacing your furnace when you have time to think, to do research, to plan your budget and to talk to us about all of your available options. There may be other financial considerations too. If you’re going to be retiring soon, it’s wise to get your furnace replacement out of the way while you’re still working. If you know you’re going to be selling your home in the near future, an old furnace could affect the sale price.
Planning your replacement also gives you the opportunity to consider other energy efficiency measures, such as adding insulation or upgrading your windows. If you’re concerned about indoor air quality, ask us about our duct cleaning services, upgraded filtration, smart thermostats and whole house humidifiers.
We’re the firm you can trust when it comes to taking care of your furnace and keeping you comfortable in your home. Call us at (540) 343-4348 for all of your heating needs.
