How Much Does Furnace Repair Cost? (2022)
No one enjoys feeling anxious. One of the most anxiety-inducing experiences is waiting on a repair and not knowing how much it will cost you. That experience is so much worse when your home is freezing because your furnace broke in Winter. At Advantage, we want to make HVAC as anxiety-free as possible. In this post, we’ll break down how much you can expect a furnace repair to cost.
Parts, Location, and Urgency Determine Furnace Repair Costs
As with many of our other pricing posts, there is no one size fits all price for furnace repairs. It’s a lot like taking your car in to get fixed. There are a lot of different parts that make up your furnace and the cost will depend on what went wrong.
We’ll try to give you an average cost for a furnace repair and some ranges on what you can expect to pay for each part. These are just broad ranges and the price you encounter may not fall within the estimates.
One thing that may increase your cost is placing an emergency repair request. Some contractors will charge more to place you ahead of their normally scheduled appointments.
These will be the numbers that we encounter in our market in Oregon.
Average Cost of Furnace Repair in America
In years prior, the national average spent on a single furnace repair is around $308. However, prices for materials and labors are increasing across America because of inflation. We expect the national average to rise to over $400 because of this price spike.
This number can be deceptively low, however. The parts that are more likely to fail are usually the ones that are less expensive to repair. That weighs on the average cost.
Once some of the more costly parts fail, homeowners look at replacing the whole furnace. This also affects the average as they are no longer getting a repair.
Furnace Repair Cost by Part
To get a more accurate idea of how much you’ll be spending on a furnace repair, you need to break it down part by part. These are the price ranges we see in our market, including our competitors.
- Capacitors – $200 -$500
- Hot Surface Ignitors – $200 – $500
- Blower Motors $800 – $3200
- Control Boards $800 – $2200
- Induction Draft Motors $600 – $1600
- Heat Exchangers – Starting at $2000-$4000 and going much higher depending on the brand.
The most common parts that we see breaking are capacitors and hot surface ignitors. Those parts take the brunt of the load when a furnace runs and can fail within 5 years.
When Is It Better to Replace?
Once a furnace has been running for 10 to 15 years, that’s when we see some of those parts fail. You might consider a replacement. Even if you can get the part repaired, most furnaces have a life span of 15-20 years.
If the heat exchanger has failed and needs to be replaced, that usually means it is time for a whole new furnace. The cheapest we have seen for a heat exchanger is $4000 while under warranty. That’s as much as some new furnaces.
Why Do Prices Range So Much?
There are a lot of factors that affect how much a repair will cost. Again, think of your furnace like a car. There are a bunch of different makes and models from every year. You wouldn’t want to put a part of a Toyota on the engine of your Chevy. Some parts are also hard to get because they are no longer being made.
The quality of the contractor will also play a role in determining the cost of repairs. Whether that person has the training, has the proper equipment, or has a high standard of quality is in how much they charge. Going with a cheap contractor might cause more repairs sooner than you’d hope.
What Affects Repair Price?
- Model of Part
- Who Manufactures The Part
- Availability of The Part
- Quality of The Repair
- If Any Wiring or Electrical Has Also Failed
Do Warranties Save Me Money on Furnace Repairs?
In most cases, warranties can save you money on a furnace repair. Some warranties might cover the full amount of parts and labor. Others might only cover the cost of parts or just select parts. Some warranties might only discount the cost of a part. Either way, they could save you substantial money when it comes time to repair your furnace.
Most warranties require that your furnace be up to date with its maintenance, and that a qualified technician performs that maintenance. That means having your furnace serviced by a technician twice a year. While you have to pay for that maintenance, it’s usually much less expensive than a full repair. $129 twice a year versus $3200 due at the completion of the repair.
The 20-Year Warranty
At Advantage, we believe that our equipment should last you its full lifetime. If we tell you a furnace should last up to 20 years, we want to make sure that it does. That’s why we back our installations with a 20-year part and labor warranty. To qualify, you will need to be in a service program such as the one we offer for $169 a year.
If you are not in our service area, double-check with whoever installed your furnace and see what they offer. If they have a warranty or some service program, that could help you save money.
Who Are Advantage Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC?
We are your local HVAC Experts out of Salem, Oregon. We believe furnace repair costs should blindside no one. It is our hope this gives you the information to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. If you have other questions about HVAC systems, check out our other blogs. To learn more about who we are and how we can help you, visit our website and follow us on social media – we’re here when you need us!
