With the heating season just starting, itb s important to take stock of your home heating situation right now. If your current heating system is not up to the task of keeping your home warm and comfortable over the next few months, it might be a good idea to replace it now. You donb t want to risk having your heater break down permanently in the middle of the coldest months of the year, right?
The best way to know for certain whether or not your heating system is in need of replacement is to have a technician examine it for you. Barring that, though, there are some warning signs to watch out for which may indicate your system is in need of replacing.
High Monthly Costs
If your heating system is costing more to operate from month to month than it normally does, it might be an indication that the system is failing. The more wear and tear builds up on the system, the more efficiency it will lose over time. As the efficiency of the system drops, it will have to operate for longer periods of time in order to compensate for the loss. This is what contributes to higher than normal monthly bills. Unfortunately, the only cure for this kind of thing is to replace the system.
Frequent Breakdowns
Itb s not unusual to need to repair your heating system every few years. If you need to repair the system more frequently than that, though, itb s a cause for concern. A system that breaks down on a regular basis likely has some sort of issue with the amount of wear and tear on the various parts inside it. The strain of using the system is causing those parts to fail ever more frequently, which will continue as long as the furnace is being used. The choice at this point is to decide whether you want to replace the entire system now, and save money in the long run, or continue to replace the system one part at a time, and pay quite a bit more in repair costs.
Old Age
Depending on what kind of heating system you have installed, you can expect it to last around 10-15 years. Boilers can last as long as 20 years, but rarely past that. Once a system passes that age, it will typically accumulate more and more chronic issues that will prevent it from operating effectively. The longer you insist on using your system past that age, the more youb re going to pay to use it. If your heater is older than 15, we highly recommend that you talk to a technician as soon as you can about replacing it before winter gets into full swing. Youb ll likely be much better off in the long run if you to.