Having issues with your furnace? Think it may be time to call in professional help? If so, you’re probably asking yourself, “how much will a furnace repair cost?”
While it’s nearly impossible to give an exact price of a furnace repair without having an HVAC professional diagnose the issue, the cost to repair a furnace can range anywhere from $120 to $1,000+, with the average homeowner paying around $300.
As you can see, that’s quite a large price range, but there are a handful of factors that can impact the cost of your furnace repair. These include:
- Existing warranties
- The type of repairs needed
- The cost of necessary replacement parts
- The HVAC company you hire
To help you better understand what to expect during a furnace repair, we’ll go through these cost factors in greater detail.
Need a professional furnace repair right away? Just call TLC. One of our licensed and skilled heating repair techs will head over in a fully-stocked truck to diagnose and repair your furnace in no time.
Cost Factor #1: Existing warranties
The first thing you’ll want to check is whether or not your warranties are valid. This is important because if your furnace’s parts and labor warranties are still valid, your repairs will cost less.
Furnaces are sold with a manufacturer’s “parts warranty” which covers the cost of needed replacement parts – in some cases, up to 10 years. However, even if you’re well within your warranty’s time period, the parts warranty may be void if any of the following has occurred:
- You never registered your furnace with the manufacturer
- The furnace has been repaired in the past using off-brand parts
- You have not had your furnace professionally maintained on a regular basis
Furnaces also come with a labor warranty. The warranty is provided by the contractor that performed your original installation. A labor warranty covers the cost of labor for repairs needed due to installation errors. To check your labor warranty, contact the company who installed your furnace for more details.
Cost Factor #2: Type of repairs needed
When it comes to determining your repair costs, diagnosing the issue is the first step. Generally, the more labor and materials needed to complete your repair, the higher the cost will be.
Furnaces are made up of dozens of different parts and components, all of which have the potential to fail or stop working over time. Some furnace components are simple and cheap to fix, while others require more labor and materials to repair, in turn, costing more.
For example, a faulty thermostat is considered to be an inexpensive and easy repair. In this situation, you may need to simply replace your thermostat’s batteries or—at most, purchase a new thermostat.
On the other hand, a cracked heat exchanger is a much more serious issue and can be very expensive. In order to fix this type of problem, you’d need to order and install a new heat exchanger, which can take over 8 hours to install and cost around $2,000.
Cost Factor #3: The cost of necessary replacement parts
Depending on the furnace part, replacing a damaged beyond repair part will increase your repair cost. In addition to paying for the new part itself, you’ll have to pay for the labor required to properly install it. If more than one part is broken, you’ll also have to pay more. And one last thing to take note of, if the part(s) you need to replace are super expensive, you may want to consider replacing the whole furnace.
Another thing to consider is the make and model of your furnace. For some older furnaces, replacement parts will likely cost more due to not being readily available or in limited supply.
Cost Factor #4: The HVAC company you hire
Generally speaking, highly-reputable and experienced HVAC companies will charge more for their services. While it may be tempting to go with a less expensive contractor, it’s important to consider the implications of doing so.
If you opt to hire a less experienced, cheaper contractor, you may pay less upfront for your repairs, but you run the risk of that contractor misdiagnosing the issue or doing a poor job. This can result in repeat work, costing you more time and money in the long run.
By hiring a high-quality HVAC professional, you’re paying for peace of mind that your repair is being done right, the first time around.
Before you hire a contractor, we recommend double-checking the following:
- They are licensed and insured.
- They have great online reviews.
- They provide upfront and honest written estimates.
- They guarantee their work with a labor warranty.
Need a professional to diagnose and fix your furnace issue?
Just call TLC’s team of experienced furnace repair techs. We have over 30 years of experience repairing furnaces in the central New Mexico area. Our techs are ready 24/7 to handle any furnace issue you’ve got.