Heating systems all have slightly different life expectancies, depending on the make, model, type, and individual circumstances. Taking proper care of your heating system, usually by scheduling preventive maintenance and prompt repairs when problems come up, can extend its lifespan by quite a bit. However, you know that eventually you’re going to have to replace the system. It’s a good idea to know what signs to look for that indicate that you’ll soon need a new heater. Though many signs differ between system types, there are a few commonalities that you can look for.
Loss of Efficiency
As your heater gets older, the parts inside it will begin to wear down from years of use. This wear and tear will slowly accumulate until it eventually begins to affect the efficiency of the system, causing it to drop. As the system becomes less and less efficient at heating, it will start to operate for longer periods of time in order to meet the demands of the thermostat. This will contribute to a spike in your heating bills. If your heating bills seem unnaturally high, even during months where you’re using it a lot, it may mean that you need a new system.
Repair Needs Go Up
No matter what, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re going to need to repair your heating system for some reason at some point. However, there’s a big difference between needing to get a small thing fixed every couple of years, and having to repair the system every few months. If you need to repair your system that often, it typically means that the wear and tear on it is beginning to cause multiple parts to fail in rapid succession. You’re better off replacing the whole system at that point, since you’d just be doing it one part at a time anyway.
Age
The typical lifespan for a heating system ranges between 10-20 years, with heat pumps/furnace closer to 10 years and boilers closer to 20. Once a heater gets past 20 years, though, it tends to be so worn out that it becomes financially unfeasible to operate for any longer. The cost of maintenance, replacing parts that may not even be manufactured anymore, and increasingly frequent repairs is often too much to justify keeping an old heater running.
You can keep using it, if you really want to spend that much money and effort on it, but you would be much better off just installing an entirely new system. If you’re not sure whether or not your heating system is far enough past its prime to warrant replacing it, have a professional check it out for you. They’ll be able to determine whether or not you could get a few more years of cost-effective operation out of it.
Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling offers heating replacement services in Doylestown, PA. If you need to replace your heater, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our experts. We’ll make sure that you get the best replacement heater for your needs.