We understand that purchasing a furnace may not be an immediate need, but it’s smart to learn the keys that can drive your decision when that time comes. Below are five important considerations that Stark Services advises our customers to think about during their evaluation:
1. Heating Repair Frequency
Like any type of 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. Some of the typical repairs include blower motor failures, ignition control failures and heat exchanger failures.
2. Operational Cost
The efficiency of gas furnaces in Fort Worth area homes today naturally influences your home energy bills, and the level of efficiency can vary tremendously depending upon the system you buy. Furnaces older than 15 years can be extremely inefficient, wasting up to 40% of the dollars you spend to heat your home. Even recently manufactured furnaces can waste up to 20%.
3. System Maintenance
A properly maintained furnace will function more efficiently, reduce the likelihood of expensive repairs and most of all ensure your safety. After all, these are gas-fired appliances. Another point worth mentioning is a properly maintained furnace will last longer before replacement is needed.
4. Tune-up Checks
Stark Services receives a lot of questions concerning what actually can be done to tune-up or maintain a furnace and there are actually many essential 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
- And many others...
5. HVAC Maintenance Interval
A trained and certified HVAC specialist who has the knowledge, skills and experience to perform a tune-up should maintain heating equipment annually. In short, without routine maintenance, frequent repairs combined with old equipment are some of the more obvious signals of a need to replace your furnace.
Excessive energy costs and the desire to reduce energy consumption are also strong reasons to consider replacement of your furnace. In fact, an independent study by Decision Analyst stated that nearly 20% of homeowners who recently replaced their furnace specifically did so to lower their utility bills.
Fort Worth area homeowners seeking more information are urged to call Stark Services at 817-668-6689.