Homeowners often face a dilemma when something goes wrong with equipment or systems that they have in their house, do they repair or replace?
There is no simple answer of course, but when it comes to heating equipment, you can take a look at its age and also try to balance the cost of the repairs against the savings you might make in the long run with a more efficient system.
Warning signs
There are plenty of houses that still make do with the old heat radiators of yesteryear and with regular maintenance, it is perfectly possible to keep them going well beyond their normal life expectancy.
It is tempting to ignore the classic warning signs that your system might not be the same force of old but if you get one of those cold mornings where the system decides not to fire into life again, there comes a point where the money you are spending on repairs could be better spent towards a replacement system.
It could be a simple and inexpensive fix such as a clogged filter but when the problem is potentially more major, you might have to decide that it is no longer a good idea to ignore the warning flags that might be suggesting you should favor replace over repair.
A good rule of thumb to help you do the math, is that it may be time to consider a replacement when your system has gone beyond 75% of its projected life expectancy and the quote for repairs is going to cost more than a third of a replacement.
Safety is an important consideration
There are certain considerations that supersede others and safety is definitely one of them.
If you are told that your current system presents a safety hazard due to a problem like a cracked heat exchanger on your furnace, this could mean exposure to poisonous carbon monoxide gas in your home, which is not a risk you will want to take with your family’s health.
Electrical problems or stuck valves can also be a safety hazard but these issues might be repairable, so you should assess the costs of repairs but keep safety over cost as your primary consideration.
Furnace lifespan
We all have to face up to the challenges of getting older and it is the same scenario with your heating system.
Whilst we would not want to heading for the scrap heap after 25 years, there is a good chance that your furnace might be ready for retirement. You can find out about the expected lifespan of new systems when you click here, but to give you some idea, a typical forced-air system is expected to give you about 15 to 20 years of service.
It is perfectly possible that you might get 25-30 years out of your system and if it has been regularly serviced or maintained, that will help.
In order to give your heating system a fair hearing before you decide its fate, weigh up things like its age, how fuel efficient it is compared to more modern counterparts and whether you can justify the repair bill for your old furnace when you consider the cost of a replacement.
Ted D. Hernandez is a home renovator. He likes writing about home improvement on the web. You can find his articles on many home renovation and DIY websites.