Repair or Replace? How To Tell If Your Furnace Is Finished
Your furnace is one of the most important mechanical systems that keep your home comfortable, safe, and enjoyable; however, furnaces are not designed to last forever. At some point, you will need an engineer from Florida Engineering to take a look at your system, and in many cases, they will recommend that you replace your furnace.
No one wants to have to do that unless absolutely necessary; complete new furnace systems are not cheap. It is often better to look to see whether you can get the parts that you need, such as tekmar controls.
If you are not entirely sure whether your engineer is being entirely truthful or trying to get you to spend more money with them, here are some of the signs to look out for to see whether your furnace needs a repair or replacement.
An unexpected increase in energy bills
Rising energy bills may be an indication that something is wrong with your furnace. If you’ve noticed a spike in your energy costs, it may be because your furnace is having to work harder, and replacing it could save you a lot of money in the long run. They are one of the biggest consumers of energy in most homes, so an inefficient furnace will cost you significantly. Look at your spending from last year, and if rates haven’t gone up, there is likely to be an issue. Newer, well-maintained furnaces, like everything, tend to perform at peak efficiency level; older ones usually don’t.
Your home will not get warm
Feeling cold indoors even though the furnace is on provides perhaps the most obvious reason for taking a good look at your furnace. It can feel colder due to newly developed air leaks or a broken or malfunctioning thermostat. If you can’t seem to get warm, and the radiators are staying cold, it is a sign that there is something not right with your system.
Your home is getting very dusty
It sounds rather bizarre, but having more dust around your home than usual, even if you are keeping up with your usual cleaning routine, can be a sign of problems with your furnace. It could be that your furnace is not doing its job to remove airborne particles from the warmed air effectively. The first thing that you need to do is to check the furnace filter and, if necessary, clean or replace it. This should be done annually, at the very least. If it has been a long time since the filter was last changed – if ever – it may have caused permanent damage to internal components.
It doesn’t sound or smell right
Standing next to your furnace will often show a lot about its condition. Check for cracks and decay and listen out for any odd sounds. Although squealing and screeching suggest that the blower needs to be modified, other forms of noises, such as grinding or banging, indicate the need for repair or replacement. When it is first fired up for the year, it might smell a little musty initially, but if this doesn’t go away after a day or two, it may indicate there is a problem.
