Furnace Repair or Replacement in Kokomo: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Pay for Another Fix

Nobody in Kokomo wants to buy a furnace. You want heat, and you want the bill to make sense.

So when the tech says “we can fix it, but,” most people freeze. These are the five questions we’d ask if we were standing in your kitchen. Answer them honestly and you’ll usually know what to do.

1. How old is it?

Age affects every question after this one. A gas furnace usually lasts 15 to 20 years. ENERGY STAR’s advice is that year 15 is when you should start weighing a replacement.

Don’t know the age? Check the sticker inside the furnace door. If the house was built in the early 2000s and nobody remembers replacing the furnace, you have your answer.

2. What actually failed?

Ask the tech to name the part and show it to you.

An igniter or a flame sensor is a normal wear item. That’s like a battery in a truck. You don’t sell the truck.

A blower motor, inducer motor or control board is real money. On a 17-year-old furnace, that’s the point to stop and compare.

A cracked heat exchanger is different. That one is about carbon monoxide, and on an older furnace the answer is replace.

3. How many times have you called in the last two winters?

One repair is just a repair. Two or three in a short span usually means you’re looking at a pattern.

Furnaces tend to need the most work in their last couple of years. If you’re on a first-name basis with the service tech, it’s probably time to look at the bigger picture.

4. What’s your gas bill doing?

Pull up last winter’s bills and the winter before. If you’re using more gas and the weather and the thermostat setting were about the same, the furnace is losing efficiency.

A lot of older units run at 80% efficiency, and some do worse than that. A new high-efficiency furnace runs 95% or better, and that gap shows up every single month from November to March.

5. How long are you staying in the house?

If you’re selling next year, a sensible repair may be all you need. If you’re staying ten more years, you’re going to buy a furnace during that time no matter what. The only question is whether you pick the day or the furnace does.

The furnace usually picks a January night.

Putting the answers together

When you’re looking at the numbers, these two checks help.

• The 50% rule: a repair that costs more than half of a new furnace is usually a sign to replace it.
• The $5,000 rule: take the furnace’s age times the repair cost. If that number lands over 5,000, replacement deserves a hard look. A $600 repair on a 16-year-old furnace is 9,600.

In practice, it usually comes down to this. If the furnace is still young and the part is small, fix it. If it’s old, the part is expensive and the bills are going up, replace it. If you’re in the middle, get both prices in writing and take a day to think.

Common questions

Should I replace my furnace before it dies?

If it’s past 15 and already costing you repairs, yes. You get to choose the equipment and the timing instead of taking whatever is available during a cold snap.

Will a new furnace lower my heating bill?

If you’re going from an older 80% furnace to a 95% or better model, you should see it on your gas bill. How much depends on your house and how you run the thermostat.

Do you work on mobile home furnaces?

Yes. We repair and replace mobile home furnaces around Howard and Tipton counties.

Talk it through with someone local

Summers Plumbing Heating & Cooling is family-owned since 1969. If your furnace can be fixed, our Kokomo furnace repair techs can handle it. If you’d like a price on a new one, a furnace replacement estimate is free. And if the furnace is fine and you just want to keep it that way, book a furnace tune-up.

Call 765-236-1212. We serve Kokomo, Greentown, Russiaville, Tipton, Sharpsville and the rest of Howard and Tipton counties.