When your heating system breaks down, the question of when to replace your furnace is easy. However, this is generally an undesirable scenario, especially if it happens during the dead of winter. There are other likely signs of imminent furnace failure that can be easy to miss prior to a the system breaking down.

Here are several key signs that you can use to decipher the condition of your heating system to know when to replace your furnace:

• Age – While the age of a furnace alone is generally not enough of a sign to warrant replacement, it’s helpful to know that furnaces generally last about 15 years. If your system is nearing that age, you can use this indicator along with the others below to make a decision. Due to advancements in heating technology, it may also be to your advantage to replace a furnace that hasn’t yet reached 15 years of age, simply due to the better efficiency that newer systems reach.
• Energy bills – If you’ve noticed your heating bills climbing season after season, it may be a sign that your system isn’t performing like it used to. Over time, and particularly with a lack of preventive maintenance, furnace efficiency decreases, causing energy bills to increase.
• Comfort – When the comfort levels in your home are less than satisfactory, it may be due to a failing heat exchanger or air handler. Specifically, hot and cold zones in a home are key indicators that something might be awry with your furnace.
• Repairs – Proceeding with a minor repair often makes sense when something goes wrong with your furnace. However, repeated and more costly repairs should cause you to pause and consider whether it’s wise to continue investing money into repairing a system that’s aging, is inefficient and can’t comfortably heat your home.

For more tips on knowing when to replace your furnace, trust the experts at Smoky Mountain Heating & Air. We proudly serve homeowners in the greater Asheville area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Asheville, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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