Yes. Furnace replacement is routine work for us, and we have been doing it in Fredericksburg homes since 1986. The part that separates a good replacement from a bad one is not the equipment — it is sizing, venting, and verification.
Sizing Comes First
The most common error in furnace replacement is matching the BTU rating of the unit being removed. It is fast, it feels safe, and it perpetuates whatever mistake was made originally.
Oversizing is the usual error. An oversized furnace satisfies the thermostat quickly and shuts off, cycling repeatedly. That produces uneven temperatures, more wear on ignition components, and worse comfort than a correctly sized unit running longer at lower output.
We perform a load calculation using your home’s square footage, insulation, window area and orientation, ceiling height, and air leakage. Hill Country homes vary enormously — a 1920s limestone house and a 2015 build with the same footprint have very different heating loads.
Our Short Heating Season Changes the Math
Fredericksburg winters are mild and brief. That has two practical consequences worth understanding before you spend money.
First, furnaces here accumulate far fewer runtime hours than the same equipment in a cold climate, which is why gas furnaces in the Hill Country routinely outlast their national average lifespan.
Second, the payback on very high efficiency is longer here than the brochures suggest, because there are simply fewer heating hours over which to recover the premium. A high-efficiency furnace is still a good purchase for many homes, but we will run the actual numbers rather than assuming the top tier is right.
It is also why a heat pump deserves serious consideration at replacement time. In a climate with a long cooling season and a short mild winter, a heat pump handles both jobs efficiently. A hybrid fuel system pairs one with a gas furnace and switches automatically.
Venting Is a Safety Item
Furnace efficiency tiers use different venting, and this is not a detail you can skip.
Standard-efficiency furnaces vent through metal flue pipe, often shared with a water heater. High-efficiency condensing furnaces produce cooler, acidic exhaust that requires PVC venting and a condensate drain.
If you move from standard to condensing efficiency, the venting changes entirely — and if a shared flue is involved, removing the furnace from it can leave the water heater orphaned on a flue now oversized for it, which creates a backdrafting risk. That has to be addressed as part of the job.
We evaluate all of this before quoting, so the price reflects the real scope.
Ductwork Has to Support It
A new furnace cannot outperform the duct system it feeds. Undersized returns force the blower against static pressure it was not built for, and leaking supply ducts deliver heated air into your attic.
We measure static pressure and inspect the ductwork as part of the quote. Sometimes duct sealing delivers more comfort improvement per dollar than a higher equipment tier, and we say so even though it is the smaller invoice.
Gas and Electrical
Gas supply has to deliver the required volume with every other appliance accounted for. Where the line is undersized, gas line work is part of the project — and because we run both trades, that happens on the same job rather than through a subcontractor.
Commissioning
After installation, the furnace is verified: gas pressure set, combustion analyzed, temperature rise measured against manufacturer specification, safeties tested, and airflow confirmed.
Skipping this is the most common shortcut in the industry, and it is invisible until the system underperforms for a decade.
Repair or Replace
If your furnace is under fifteen years and the failure is an igniter, flame sensor, or control board, repair is usually right. A cracked heat exchanger is a replacement, always.
We quote both so you can see the numbers. Details are on our furnace replacement page, and financing is available.
Contact 72 Degrees or call (830) 468-5316.
