Among the many challenges that accompany owning a home, knowing when you need to replace your old furnace is a difficult task for anyone who’s not a home heating and cooling expert. Fortunately, there are a number of clear warning signs that any home owner can use to recognize that they need a new furnace before the old one becomes unsafe or incurs a major cost. The HVAC experts at Sunshine Air Conditioning & Heating are here to give you their top four warning signs that you likely need a new furnace.

• Your Furnace Is Over 15 Years Old: Generally, furnaces can be expected to last for about 16-20 years. If you know your furnace’s age is within this range, it’s a good idea to start shopping for a new one, especially before an emergency leaves you without heat during the winter. If you’re not sure how old your furnace is, check to see if it has a pilot light: if it does, it’s probably at least 25 years old.
• Your House Is Drafty And There’s Ice Where It Shouldn’t Be: If it feels like you’re living in an igloo, that’s a good indicator that your furnace is no longer able to heat your home efficiently. This is a sign that it’s time to schedule an appointment with one of Sunshine’s highly skilled HVAC technicians to figure out if you need repairs or a whole new furnace.

• You’ve Needed To Repair It Often During The Past Two Years: If you have your furnace repaired frequently in the last two years, it’s probable that you need a new one: furnaces generally require the most maintenance work during the last two years of their lives. It’s a good idea to tally up how much you’ve been spending on repairs, and then see if it would be more cost-effective to purchase a new furnace.
• Your Burner Flame Is Yellow: Usually, burner flames are blue, but if yours is yellow, your furnace may be producing carbon monoxide. Other signs that your furnace could be producing carbon monoxide include streaks of soot around the furnace, rusting on flue pipes and other pipe connections, and extra moisture on windows and walls. If you believe that your furnace may be producing carbon monoxide, you need to call an HVAC technician as quickly as possible: carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless toxic gas that can be fatal if it builds up unchecked.

For 19 years, Sunshine Air Conditioning and Heating has been providing expert cooling and heating repair services to residents in the Peekskill and Cortland, New York, areas. Their friendly, professional HVAC technicians have almost 30 years of experience, and all of Sunshine’s services and installations are 100% guaranteed.

Whether you’re designing a new heating and cooling system for your home or need some simple repairs, Sunshine Air Conditioning and Heating can do it all. Visit their website to find out more about their services and fantastic special offers, or call (914) 245-2050 to schedule your appointment today.