Be Ready for Furnace Repairs, Maintenance, and Replacement
You don’t need a crystal ball to tell when it may be approaching time for a new heater installation in your home. Your furnace and blower will give you plenty of notice that it’s struggling to do its job, or that there’s an issue that needs to be addressed.
The great thing about having a new furnace installed in your St. Louis home is that you get a new piece of equipment you can rely on as the temperatures drop below freezing. The downside? Replacing HVAC equipment can be costly. A new heater is always worth it, though, especially as your old one nears the end of its useful life. Let the experts at Meyer Heating and Air help you make the best decision for your home and your comfort when it comes time to get a new heating system.
Life Expectancy of Heating Equipment in East Central Missouri
If you’ve taken meticulous care of your residential heater over the years, it will likely last you longer than one that’s been neglected. What entails meticulous care? We recommend an annual professional inspection and tune-up of your heater before turning it on in the fall or winter months and replacing the filter monthly.
On average, residential heaters can last 10 to 20 years, but there are outliers, of course. A neglected system that has had infrequent heating maintenance – if any – will likely not continue working nearly as long. Conversely, some heating systems continue running well past the 20-year mark, but it isn’t usual to get many more years out of one.
The bottom line: if you want your residential heater to last you multiple decades, careful maintenance is a must.
Signs It’s Almost Time for New Heater Installation
Even with the best maintenance, heaters still wear out. Watch out for these signs that you need professional assistance with potentially replacing your old furnace.
Your unit smells strange when it cycles on.
Furnaces should not emit unpleasant odors, period. If yours is quite smelly, you have an issue that needs correction. Your unit could need a deep-cleaning, or it could be retaining moisture and growing mold. The smell could also be coming from a mechanical failure occurring inside the unit.
You hear strange or unexpected noises.
You can expect to hear something from your HVAC system; there are lots of moving parts and blowing air, of course. Abnormal noises can indicate a problem. Call an HVAC pro at Meyer Heating and Air if you hear any banging, scraping, grinding, or squeaking coming from your furnace.
Your unit continuously runs, or doesn’t run at all.
If your blower isn’t producing air, you may have a clog, or something more serious. But if your HVAC system is continuously running, there’s an issue, too. Sometimes it’s a simple fix, but other times there’s a different issue that needs diagnosing.
You’ve needed frequent repairs, and the bills are piling up.
If you’ve had a technician out to fix your furnace multiple times in the course of the year, or your technician has found a problem that will cost you thousands of dollars to repair an already old piece of equipment, it’s likely time to consider replacement. Meyer Heating and Air can install a new heater in your home to help keep your home comfortable in the approaching winter months.
You notice your old heater is less efficient.
Even if your old heater is still functional, it’s likely not as energy efficient as it could be, both because its parts are wearing out and because newer technology has enabled the development and manufacture of far more efficient systems. If you see your utility bill get higher and higher, it’s probably worth replacing your system for a more modern one anyway.
How to Pay for a New Furnace in Your O’Fallon or Ballwin Home
As we mentioned earlier, the cost of a new furnace in St. Louis is the only downside to having to install a new heating system. Depending on the size of your home and a few other factors, you can expect to pay anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000 on an all-new system (complete with air conditioner), assuming your ductwork is in good condition.
Don’t let the price tag sway you toward helping your old furnace continue to limp along for a couple more years. We make it easy for our customers to get financing for a new furnace (and other major repairs), so anyone can afford a new heater for their home.
Meyer Heating & Air customers can get free financing on any product or service totaling $1,500 or more through Synchrony, one of the nation’s oldest consumer financial services companies. Complete a simple application, and you’ll get an unsecured, revolving line of credit, convenient monthly payment options, online account management, and, during certain times of the year, promotional financing options that could save you money!
You may be eligible to get money back on your new equipment and heating installation through your utility company. Check your electric company’s or gas company’s website to see if they offer special rebates for upgrading to more energy-efficient HVAC equipment.
And finally, if you watch for the signs that your furnace is starting to wear down and begin planning ahead when you’re a few years out, you could save up money to pay cash for your new system. Because you now know about how long you can expect your existing furnace to last, you can use that as a guideline as you put back money for its replacement. For example, if you put back $500 each year into a furnace fund, within 15 years, you’ll have $7,500 saved up to put toward your purchase.
Who to Call for All Your Heating and Cooling Needs
When it’s time for a new heating system, call Meyer Heating and Air! It’s our goal to find the most energy-efficient heating system for your home at an affordable price. We work on every kind of heating system: furnace, heat pumps, electric systems, and more. To schedule a service check of your current heating system today, call us at 314-845-1929.
