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When a heating system first starts showing its age, you don’t just kick it to the curb. You get it fixed.
But happens when the repairs just keep on coming, and the repair bills start piling up? Right: at some point, it’s no longer worth having it fixed, with your money better spent on a new, high efficiency replacement system.
The problem is, it can be difficult to know exactly what that “point” is. So, in the interest of helping you make the best possible decision, here are a few indications that your next best move is not paying for yet another repair:
Do you keep track of your annual home heating costs? You should. That way, you can compare costs from one year to the next. For the first several years of its existence, heating costs should be pretty comparable, especially with annual system maintenance. But then one day, no matter how faithful your maintenance schedule, you’re going to see a substantial increase. That’s when you should at least start thinking about replacing it.
Talk about keeping track: how about the age of your furnace? If it’s between 15 and 20 years old, it’s already reached its average expected lifespan. If it’s even older than that, then consider yourself lucky – for now.
Older furnaces can sound like a cavemen’s rock band with all the crude noises they make, like whistling, wheezing, popping, and banging. Are you hearing noises like that? Well, it doesn’t mean you need to start shopping for that new furnace just yet, but you should at least have it professionally diagnosed before things get any worse.
If and when you start suffering frequent headaches, a burning sensation in your eyes or nose, flu-like symptoms, and so on, don’t rule out your furnace as the possible cause, especially if it’s older. More importantly, have it checked out immediately, because a cracked heat exchanger could be leaking carbon monoxide gas.
At GBT, we advise families like yours on the best possible course of action for your home heating and cooling systems: whether it’s annual maintenance, making a necessary repair, or replacing your system with a new, more reliable, and energy efficient model. For service and advice you can count on, we invite you to contact GBT Heating & Cooling today.