Air Conditioner Installation: Is Your Furnace Ready For The Winter? | Southlake, TX
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With winter just weeks away, every homeowner in Southlake, TX, needs to inspect their home and prepare for the coming cold months. Your heating system will be working overtime to keep your home warm, and with people spending more time indoors to avoid the cold weather, your system should be able to withstand the extra work. As such, the furnace will be your first stop since it will be responsible for generating heat in your home. The last thing you want is for your furnace to stop working in the middle of winter.
If you live with children or an older individual, a failing furnace can put their health at risk. Inspecting the furnace before winter arrives will give you the chance to spot potential problems and repair them long before temperatures start to drop. However, since heating systems can be quite dangerous, ensure you reach out to a heating and air conditioner installation service to handle all the heavy work. The service will recommend either repair or outright replacement, depending on the severity of the problem.
Common Furnace Problems
HVAC systems will eventually develop problems: the wear and tear of everyday use make it inevitable. While some air conditioner installations are resistant to extreme weather, especially furnaces, they are still susceptible to wear and tear and will develop issues over time. Carrying out an inspection before winter is crucial as it will allow you to plan your budget and give you more time to shop around for a furnace if you need a new one.
You can also save on labor and parts if you repair your system before winter, as demand for heating tools and specialists will still be low. Here are some common furnace problems that may call for either repair or replacement:
Leaking Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide leaks can be hazardous as the gas is colorless and has no odor or taste. In high concentrations, carbon monoxide can kill you in just five minutes. About 2,200 people perished from carbon monoxide poisoning between 2010 and 2015, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and most of them occurred during the winter. Most furnace leaks are the result of cracked combustion chambers. Here are some signs of carbon monoxide leakage.
- Excess moisture on walls, windows, and other surfaces
- Streaks of soot around the furnace
- A yellow furnace flame rather than a blue one
- Rust on the furnace exhaust pipes
- No updraft in the chimney
- Nausea, disorientation, headache, and other flu-like symptoms
If you notice the following signs, get out of the house immediately, call the fire department, have the gas turned off, and contact an air conditioner installation service for emergency repairs. If you are experiencing physical symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if you don’t feel ill, make sure a doctor has given you a check-up.
The Furnace Is Over 15 Years Old
Furnaces will degrade and lose efficiency over time due to wear and tear. Although the US Department of Energy says it can last 15-30 years, most air conditioner installation experts recommend replacing furnaces every fifteen years to keep your heating system working efficiently. How do you know it’s time for your old furnace to retire? If your furnace needs constant repairs despite being serviced at least a year ago, it may be past its prime. However, a recently installed furnace can keep chugging along as long as you schedule regular appointments with an air conditioner professional for servicing.
The Cost of Repairing It Is More Than Half the Cost of Replacing It
Once a professional inspects your furnace, determines the extent of damage and the repairs it needs, they will give you rough numbers to give you an idea of the costs. If you find that the cost of fixing your current system is more than 50% of the price of a new furnace, you might as well buy the new one. For an older furnace that has been around for 75% of its lifespan, replacing it will be feasible if the cost of repair is more than one-third of the replacement costs. Your air conditioner service will help you shop for suitable furnaces and contrast the cost of repair and replacement.
Your Electricity Bills Are Steadily Increasing
A damaged or slowed-down furnace will not work as efficiently as it should. While you can expect some variation in utility bills due to weather patterns and changes in supply and demand, electricity bills that consistently exceed your electricity use should trigger your alarm bells. As furnaces age, their components become worn out and cannot perform their functions as efficiently, forcing the heating system to consume more energy in a failed attempt to boost performance.
If you’re heating bills do not align with your power usage, contact an air conditioner installation professional to come and inspect your system. They will most likely advise you to repair the furnace if it’s less than 15 years old and the repair cost is less than half the cost of a new furnace. On the other hand, replacing the furnace would be more efficient if it is older than 15 years and requires frequent repairs.
Your Furnace Is Losing Efficiency
Do you constantly have to adjust the thermostat to keep the temperature in your home at a comfortable range? Are some rooms receiving more heat than others? It could be that your furnace is losing effectiveness and cannot heat the entire house like usual. The furnace may be losing power, or the duct system in your home may not be circulating warm air through your home properly. If your heating system fails to deliver enough heat over two heating seasons, it’s time to call an air conditioner installation service.
The service will advise you on whether you should repair or replace the furnace depending on its age, performance, and cost of repairs. If this is the latest in a line of furnace problems, the air conditioner installation professional may advise you to replace the system with a new one.
Air Conditioner Installation in Southlake, TX
A faulty furnace can turn a nice, cozy winter into an unpleasant experience for hours or even days. You can avoid this by having your heating system inspected by a professional air conditioner installation service before the cold descends. One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth is the number one HVAC service in Southlake, TX. Our technicians will repair your system and advise you on whether or not you’ll need a new system. Contact us today for more information about our service and book an appointment.