Red-Tagged Furnace: Replacing The Unit Vs. Replacing The Heat Exchanger

The day may come when you are faced with a red-tagged furnace, most likely because the heat exchanger has cracked. If that’s the case, an HVAC expert will affix a red tag to the unit because it’s a health and safety risk to you and your family. Then you will need to make a decision on whether to replace the part or replace the furnace. But how do you decide?

Replacing The Unit

• Contemplate the age of the furnace before making your decision. If it is more than seven years old, you may want to consider upgrading to a more efficient unit.
• Weigh the cost of repair versus the cost of new. Some furnaces have a lifetime guarantee on the heat exchanger, but if that doesn’t cover labor you could still end up paying a significant amount of money. Find out what a high-efficiency replacement unit will cost before deciding.
• Consider efficiency ratings. Putting money in to fixing a red-tagged furnace that is low efficiency is not in your best interest. The cost savings over time of a high-efficiency unit will most likely outweigh the repair, and you may qualify for rebates on the new unit to sweeten the deal.

Replacing The Heat Exchanger

• If the unit is less than seven years old, consider repairing it. If you have a newer model furnace that is high efficiency, and the unit has 100 percent warranty coverage, it may be more cost effective to replace the heat exchanger rather than the entire furnace.
• Do some math. If it works out that the cost to replace the part is 25 percent or less than the cost of buying new, it may be more in your favor.

If you have a red-tagged furnace or any other HVAC concerns, contact us at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We have been northwest Arkansas for more than 40 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about red-tagged furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Paschal Heating, Air & Geothermal services Northwest Arkansas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!