You don’t want to head into the winter with a home heating system that might fail during one of the coldest days of the year. You may be stuck with a cold house while you arrange to get the broken heater replaced. But how can you tell that your current heater has come to the end of its service life so you can replace it?
The easiest way is to set the Moose Loose! We’re the experts at new heating installation in Charleston, SC and we can help you determine if your current heater is ready to go or if our repairs can keep it going effectively for several more years. We’ll always be honest with you about what’s best for your home.
You may still feel on the fence about your heater, so before you call us, we’ll go over some of the major signs to watch for that will warn you have a heater ready for retirement.
Old Age
What’s “too old” for a central heating system? It depends on the heater type. Here are some basic guidelines:
- Gas furnace: 15 years
- Electric furnace: 20 years
- Heat pump: 10–15 years
- Geothermal: 10–15 years for the indoor components, 50+ years for ground loops
If your heating system has received regular maintenance each year, it should reach the upper end of this service life estimate. We don’t recommend you try to push the heater too far over the estimate, as each year puts the system at a higher risk of wasting energy or abruptly breaking down.
Rising Operating Costs
It costs money to heat a home, but that heating cost should remain consistent. You can expect to see higher heating bills when energy costs rise or you have more people in your house during the season. But if your energy bills are rising each winter and you can’t find a specific reason, this often warns that the heater is wearing down rapidly. Heaters tend to lose energy efficiency during the last one or two years of their service lives.
Cold Spots
One of the big warnings that a heating system is losing its basic heating capacity is when it can no longer evenly heat the house. If you’re finding cold spots in parts of your house when the heater is running, something is restricting the heater’s power. It may only require a repair to fix this, but for an older heater it’s often a sign the system is on its way out.
Too Many Repairs
A heating system that receives regular annual maintenance will rarely need repairs until it’s close to the end of its service life. When repairs become common—such as every year—it’s usually best to look into a replacement. Each of those repairs is money that could go toward a replacement system. Also watch for the cost of repairs: any single fix with a price tag more than half that of getting a new heater is too much money.
Remember you’ve got the best team to help you out when you need to make the big choice about your future heating: Contact Carolina Climate Control today and set the Moose Loose in Your Neighborhood!
