We realize that buying a new furnace may not be a priority in the immediate future, but it’s wise to learn the keys that will likely influence your choice when you are ready to buy. Below are five important considerations that Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning advises our customers to think about during their evaluation:
1. Heating Repair Frequency
Just like any appliance, as furnaces age, the probability of frequent heating repairs increase. If your furnace is over 15 years old, you might start to experience relatively expensive repairs. More common and costly repairs include blower motor failures, ignition control failures and heat exchanger failures.
2. Operational Cost
The efficiency of gas furnaces in Fort Lauderdale area homes today vary significantly and their efficiency directly influences your utility bills. Furnaces older than 15 years can be extremely inefficient, resulting in up to 40% of your home energy dollars being wasted. Even the latest models of furnaces can waste up to 20%.
3. System Maintenance
A correctly maintained furnace will operate more efficiently, reduce the likelihood of expensive repairs and above all ensure your safety. Remember, these are gas-fired appliances. Another point worth mentioning is a properly tuned furnace will last longer before replacement is necessary.
4. Tune-up Checks
Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning receives a lot of questions pertaining to what actually can be done to tune-up or maintain a furnace and there are actually many vital checks and calibrations in the process:
- Gas Pressure and gas valve calibration
- Cleaning and checking safety switches
- Cleaning the heat exchanger
- Inspecting the heat exchanger for dangerous conditions
- Cleaning the blower system
- Cleaning and replacement of worn ignition sensors
- Much more...
5. HVAC Maintenance Interval
A trained and certified HVAC specialist who has the education to perform a tune-up must maintain heating equipment once a year. To put it bluntly, without routine maintenance, frequent repairs combined with dated equipment are some of the more obvious indicators of a need to replace your furnace.
Excessive energy costs and the interest to reduce energy consumption are also strong reasons to consider replacement of your furnace. In fact, an independent study by Decision Analyst suggested nearly 20% of homeowners who recently replaced their furnace specifically did so to lower their utility bills.
Fort Lauderdale area homeowners seeking more information are urged to call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning at 954-736-4314.