It’s the coldest time of the year in Louisiana, very different from our usual luxurious warmth. And of course, if your furnace is going to have problems or break down, now—when it’s working the hardest—is the time when that will happen. What should you do about your struggling or failing furnace? Should you have it repaired? Do you need to replace it? What if that’s too expensive?
Of course, you really only need the furnace to last you for a couple of months. Then the cold weather will let up, and you’ll have plenty of time to save up, research solutions, and solve your furnace problem properly before next winter. Is it possible for your furnace to make it through the rest of the winter? Here are some things to be aware of.
A Small Repair May Do the Trick
It can be very hard to know what’s wrong with your furnace without any training or experience diagnosing and repairing heating systems. You might think something is terribly wrong—after all, the furnace just plain won’t even start up!—only to find that it won’t start because the flame sensor is dirty. It can’t detect the flame, so it won’t release the gas, but all it needs is a professional cleaning. Nothing’s actually broken!
In order to determine whether the necessary repair will be small and affordable or much more complex or costly, you’ll need to rely on the expertise of a technician who is qualified and experienced in furnace repair in West Monroe, LA. Your technician can answer questions about not just the repair estimate but also the age and condition of the furnace and whether it’s worth repairing.
Repairs are Less Costly than Replacement
Even if the repair that’s required is hundreds of dollars, that’s a lot less than the cost of replacing the furnace. It might be worth it to you, especially if it could keep the furnace running for more than just this winter. However, if that repair will only keep the furnace running for a short time, it might be a poor investment.
For example, gas furnaces, on average, will last around fifteen years with regular maintenance. Spending hundreds of dollars to repair a fifteen-year-old furnace which is highly unlikely to last more than a year or two would be a waste.
Financing Is an Option
Perhaps you truly need a new heating system. Maybe your old one is in such a condition that, even with repairs, it could be unsafe, or so inefficient that your utility bills will be outrageous. Or maybe you’ve determined that the cost of the repairs is more than half of the cost of a new furnace, and yet you’ll still have an elderly furnace on your hands that will need replacing soon anyway.
At Mike Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, we believe that everyone deserves a comfortable home with safe and effective heating and cooling systems. To make sure our neighbors have access to that, we offer a variety of financing options. Even if you can’t afford the entire price tag of a brand-new furnace right now, we can work with you to create a payment plan.
Contact Mike Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC. We provide “Professional grade service.”