Should You Replace Your 25-Year-Old Furnace?

November 13, 2023

Most furnaces last between 15 and 30 years, so a 25-year-old furnace is almost certainly reaching the end of its life span. That’s usually a good reason to buy a replacement, but we understand if you want to put that off for as long as possible. While you should at least consider replacing a furnace after 25 years, you can look for other signs that will tell you that your furnace really is on its last legs. High Energy Bills As a furnace gets older, it will need to work harder to maintain a constant temperature. It will use more energy, which will raise your monthly utility bills. If you’ve found that your energy bills have been higher than usual, it’s probably time to replace your old furnace. A new furnace may seem expensive, but replacing your old furnace will still save you money in the long run. Frequent Repairs If you find that you need to call an HVAC repair technician every few months to fix something wrong with your furnace, it’s time to buy a replacement. Not only are you spending a lot of money on those repairs, but at some point, it will cost more to fix...

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Should I Get a Heat Pump or Furnace?

January 10, 2022

As a homeowner, you want your home to be comfortable throughout the winter. When deciding how to heat your home, it often comes down to whether you should buy a heat pump or furnace. What’s the difference between the two? What Is a Furnace? Furnaces use a fuel to produce hot air. The fuel is commonly natural gas. There’s a burner that burns the gas, a heat exchanger to transfer the heat, and a blower that distributes it throughout your home. Furnace Positives A furnace will heat your home more quickly than a heat pump. As they’re only used when it’s cold outside, they have longer lifespans than heat pumps. While they need annual maintenance, furnaces don’t need as much maintenance as a heat pump. Furnace Negatives Furnaces are more costly to operate than a heat pump. They also generate carbon monoxide, which could leak into your home if the furnace isn’t properly installed. What Is a Heat Pump? Heat pumps don’t use a fuel to produce heat. Instead, they use electricity to transfer heat between a cool space and a warm one. Unlike a furnace, a heat pump can cool your home in the winter. Heat Pump Positives Heat...

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Should I Turn Off My Gas Furnace in the Summer?

April 12, 2021

With the winter now entirely in the rearview mirror in Las Cruces, it’s unlikely that you’ll need to run your furnace for several months. If you’re the type of person who likes to take care of the small details around your home, you’re likely wondering if you can safely turn off your gas furnace since it won’t be needed. To ensure you make the right choices with your HVAC equipment, here are a few insights from . Does a Furnace Use Energy During the Summer? The answer to the question of whether or not a furnace uses energy during the summer is, “it depends.” If you have a newer furnace that uses electronic ignition for the pilot light, then your furnace uses almost no energy during the summer. However, if your furnace has a pilot light that burns constantly, this will use a significant amount of energy throughout the year, whether or not your furnace is running. Therefore, if you have a furnace with an always-on pilot light, it makes sense to take action. How to Turn Off a Furnace The pilot light on a furnace has its own gas supply. As such, it also has its own gas cutoff...

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Is It Normal to Smell Gas Near a Furnace?

March 16, 2021

Winter nights in Las Cruces, NM, can be downright frigid. You’ll need a reliable furnace to keep your home warm. Most of the time, furnaces operate without any issues. However, you might notice a smell of natural gas if you’re standing next to the furnace. This might give you cause for alarm. Here’s what you need to know about when the odor of natural gas is and isn’t something to be concerned about. Gas Odor When Heating Cycle Starts It’s normal to smell the odor of natural gas for a couple of seconds at the start of a heating cycle. The gas supply valve releases the gas, and it takes the ignition or pilot a fraction of a second to ignite it. Once the gas is steadily burning, the gas odor goes away. Odor Persists During Heating Cycle If the foul odor of natural gas persists during the entire heating cycle, this isn’t normal. Your furnace may have a problem with the combustion process, combustion chamber, or flue. There could also be a problem with the gas supply, ignition, or pilot. You should get everyone out of your home and make a call for emergency furnace repair services. Gas Odor...

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How Does a Furnace Work?

February 6, 2020

How Does a Furnace Work? While you don’t need to understand how every single component of your furnace works, it might be a good idea to learn the basic concepts. With a little bit of knowledge, it will be much easier to catch minor issues in their earliest stages so that they don’t become expensive problems. Energy Sources Residential heating systems can be powered by a variety of energy sources, but most modern homes have natural gas furnaces. Some of the other heating sources include heating oil, propane, solar power and electricity from the city’s grid. All of those energy sources have their own pros and cons, but the vast majority of homeowners stick with natural gas systems because they are easy to maintain and relatively inexpensive to run. The Thermostat and Valve The thermostat is the brain of the system, and it tells the furnace when to turn on. Once the indoor temperature drops below a certain point, the thermostat will automatically turn the gas valve. That valve lets the gas into the combustion chamber where it can be lit by the pilot light. After the combustion chamber has heated the nearby air, it is going to blow it...

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When Is It Time To Replace My Furnace?

December 10, 2019

A well-built furnace can last decades. Brand-new furnaces aren’t the only ones built to last. While older ones can be somewhat inefficient, they can still run well. Whether old-time or high-tech, no furnace lasts forever, though. At some point, your home needs a new one. The question is, “When?” A homeowner might not be sure, but don’t worry. Your furnace will provide you with all the signs that it needs to be replaced. The Furnace Breaks Down Take this as the most significant warning sign of all. When the furnace shuts down, the problem could be a minor one. Perhaps it is overdue for a cleaning or a fuse blew out. The issue, however, could be more severe if the furnace continues to break down. The possibility that it may outright “die” looms when it can’t run reliably anymore. When your furnace continues to “act funny,” consider placing a call to . We offer customers in Las Cruces repair, maintenance, and installation work for heaters and cooling units. The Energy Bills Keep Going Up It may seem perplexing as to why your heating or cooling expenses keep traveling upwards. One reason could be the furnace works a lot harder to...

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