By the WY&G, Inc. team: licensed HVAC contractor, CSLB C-20 #1044922, over 25 years and thousands of customers in the Santa Clarita Valley and Orange County.
Start with the heat exchanger
The heat exchanger is the metal chamber that keeps the burner flames and exhaust separate from the air you breathe. If it cracks, combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, can get into the airflow. On most residential furnaces a cracked heat exchanger isn't a practical repair. Even when the part is still covered by a manufacturer warranty, the labor to replace it is a big job, and on an older furnace that usually tips the decision.
A crack is a serious call, so it should come with proof. Ask to see it: a photo, a camera view, or the spot on the metal. If you aren't comfortable with what you're shown, a second opinion is fair, and a good contractor won't mind.
Age matters, but it is not the whole story
Many gas furnaces last somewhere around 15 to 20 years, sometimes longer with yearly care. In Southern California a furnace runs fewer hours than one in Chicago, so a 20 year old unit here may have less wear than its age suggests. On the other hand, furnaces installed in Santa Clarita attics spend every summer in serious heat, and that's hard on wiring, motors and plastic parts.
So age alone doesn't decide anything. Age plus a major repair does start the conversation. Putting a new blower motor and control board into a furnace that's near the end of its life is often money you won't get back.
Repairs that are almost always worth doing
- Cleaning or replacing a flame sensor
- A new hot surface igniter
- A blower capacitor
- A pressure switch, limit switch or rollout switch
- Clearing a clogged condensate drain or trap on a high efficiency furnace
- Thermostat problems or loose wiring
These are the most common winter calls, and on a furnace in good shape they're routine fixes.
When replacement starts to make sense
- Cracked heat exchanger, confirmed and shown to you.
- Repeat breakdowns. A different part every winter usually means the whole unit is wearing out.
- Discontinued parts. Some older control boards, inducer motors and gas valves are no longer made. Universal parts cover many of them, but not all.
- Comfort problems that never go away. Cold rooms, long run times, or a furnace that was sized wrong from the start.
- Your AC is also due. The furnace blower moves air for both systems, and the AC coil usually sits on top of the furnace. Replacing both together often gives a better matched system.
What about R-22?
You may hear about R-22 when you talk about HVAC replacement. R-22 is an older air conditioning refrigerant. Furnaces don't use refrigerant, so R-22 has nothing to do with whether your furnace can be repaired. If your AC still runs on R-22 and is also failing, it can make sense to plan both replacements together, because the AC coil and the furnace work as one airflow system. But nobody should tell you a healthy furnace has to go because of R-22.
Efficiency is a factor, not the reason
Older furnaces usually burn at around 80 percent efficiency, and many new ones are rated above 90 percent. That sounds like an easy win, but in our climate a furnace runs far fewer hours than in a cold state, so the gas savings take longer to add up. A high efficiency furnace also needs plastic vent pipes and a condensate drain, and it doesn't fit every closet or attic without changes. If you're replacing anyway, it's worth comparing both types. If the old furnace is healthy, efficiency alone rarely justifies tearing it out.
Questions to ask before you decide
- What exactly failed, and can I see it?
- How old is the furnace? The model and serial number on the label will tell you.
- Is the replacement part available now, and is it original or universal?
- What else is worn and likely to fail soon?
- What warranty comes with the repair, and with a new system?
- Can I get both options in writing so I can compare them?
How we handle it at WY&G
We diagnose first and give you the options in writing: the repair, and replacement if it's worth considering. No pressure either way. We're a licensed HVAC contractor (CSLB C-20 #1044922) with over 25 years in the Santa Clarita Valley, so we do both repairs and full installations. See furnace repair and furnace installation, or our local pages for Valencia and Santa Clarita.
Call (323) 240-2373 or book a visit. Code WEB25 takes $25 off service (see coupons).
