Replacing vs Repairing an HVAC System

Brandy Powell
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Find out what is best for your home

Discussing strategies on how to replace your AC system so that you find what’s right for you and your home. You should repair your system if it is within warranty, or a few years out of warranty. Finding a good contractor will help with that decision.

Host: Brandy Powell
Guest: Joe Linsenmeyer, Director Residential Marketing, Emerson Climate Technologies

Timestamps:

  • 0:08 – Welcome
  • 0:27 – Options for repairing or replacing older systems
  • 1:51 – When to repair vs. replace
  • 3:13 – How to maintain your system
  • 4:49 – How to tell how old your system is
  • 5:30 – Total v. partial system replacements
  • 7:05 – Wrap-up

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9 thoughts on “Replacing vs Repairing an HVAC System”

  1. I have a GE combo roof mount system, installed in 2005. The squirrel cage blower motor has stopped working. It is an Emerson K55HXJNH-9227. Try as I might I can not locate a replacement motor. Has this motor been superseded by a replacement, and if so, what is the model number. Thank you, Frank

  2. You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!

  3. Hi Kathy – It sounds like you are asking two questions – one is how to heat your 2 car garage that has no heat and also what to do with your 30 year old furnace. Our research shows that most HVAC systems are replace after about 16 years, more or less, depending on the climate they are in and the run time they have experienced. Based on this you might want to look into having the system replaced and upgraded to the latest energy efficiencies to save on your utility bills. Some home buyers get this put into their home mortgage or a home equity line of credit so you might ask about that. When you have the contractors out to quote your project (we recommend getting 2-3 quotes) you can ask them about your garage situation. They might be able to run some extra ductwork to the garage or recommend another separate heating system for that area. Be sure to mention the garage addition and how warm or cool you want to keep it so they can suggest options and get the load calculations right for the whole space. If you end up staying with your current system maybe a simple space heater for the coldest days and nights might be adequate but it would be best to ask a contractor who is familiar with your area and the temperatures you will likely experience throughout the year. I hope this answers some of your questions.

  4. what is the fastest and most economical way to heat a 2 car garage. we just bought a house and it has an electric furnace that is 30 years old

  5. Question: My unit is a GMC A/C Heating unit, powered by Copeland Scroll with a number 1309041079. I don’t know if it’s a serial number or other reference number, but it’s a new one and I am afraid to turn it on the heater because I don’t know if there is a furnace that needs to be lit. Installed in May 2015, new, can you please let me know if I do have to do this first with the unit.

    • Hi Sylvia – you might try calling the contractor that installed that unit to make sure there is nothing special you have to do when start it starts up – they can probably tell you this over the phone. If it is a stand-alone heat pump without a gas furnace then there is no flame or burning used in the heating process so all you would need to do is switch it from cool to heat on the thermostat and then set the temperature. A heat pump just uses electric energy to “pump” the heat available in the outdoor atmosphere into your home. In any case, if the heat does not come on within a few minutes of when you switch it you should probably switch it to off and call a contractor to make sure it is operating properly. I hope this helps answer your question.

  6. A Honeywell Programmable Thermostat was installed by Ohio Edison Personnel in my home about two years ago. I have no problem with the air condition system but is having great problems dealing with my heating system which is a water heating system with two zones. I have had the local heating service manager in to check with my home boiler and everything is in excellent working condition. But my problem is getting the heating system to function properly and more or less need a Honeywell Service Personnel to visit and review what programmable system was installed by Ohio Edison. The front zone does not seem to be operating correctly as the back zone is within my house. Would appreciate someone soon before our great winter arrives which is not that far away.

    • Hi Neil – you might try contacting Ohio Edison and/or the thermostat supplier to make sure you have the right thermostat for your home and that it is wired properly. Tell them you have one AC system and a heating system with two zones. If your zoned heating system is on two different pump circuits you might try controlling them separately with two thermostats – one for each zone on heating. If it is not the thermostat setup you might have another boiler contractor check the water levels in both circuits and also check for air in the lines – need to bleed this off to get proper flow to the heat exchangers. This sort of maintenance should be done every one to two years anyway. They can also do some preventative burner cleaning while they are on the call. I hope this helps to answer some of your questions.

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