Heater replacements are often needed this time of year in northern Utah!
You already know what northern Utah winters are like, and without proper indoor heating, our winters can pose rather miserable and even dangerous scenarios. It’s never a good idea to go into a Utah winter with an aging home heater that you can’t necessarily rely upon when temperatures begin to plummet.
That’s why the fall months are the perfect time to invest in heating system inspections, so you can answer some major questions about your older heating system. One of the most pressing questions that many northern Utah homeowners have this time of year includes is it time to replace my heater before winter begins?
The only way to truly know if it’s time to replace your home’s heater is to work directly with experienced HVAC specialists, and the Beehive Heating & Air team is here to provide you with the information that you need about your heating system’s future fate!
How Can You Tell When You Have An “Old” Heater?
Deciphering whether your home’s heating system is becoming outdated or not will ultimately depend upon the type of heating system you currently own. Below are some criteria for recognizing aging signs in the most common types of residential heating systems:
- Natural gas furnaces, which are arguably the most common type of heater in northern Utah, will typically last around 15 years when they obtain seasonal maintenance on a yearly basis.
- Electric furnaces can typically last longer than their natural gas counterparts, and they average a 20-year service lifetime.
- Boilers can usually last 20 years, or even longer.
- Heat pumps have typical life expectancies of around 10-15 years.
So, if your home’s heater is near or over its estimated service life expectancy, then you should at the very least start considering a replacement system. It’s generally not recommended to try to squeeze as much service life as you can from your heating system, because this will ultimately put you at risk of wasting energy, spending more on largely unnecessary repairs, and experiencing sudden breakdowns in the heart of the winter season!
Your Rising Energy Bills Could Be Due To Your Aging Heater
If you’re noticing increasing winter energy bills for your home that have only gotten worse year by year, then you should understand that these higher costs might not necessarily be due to increased usage or rising municipal energy costs.
When your heater is getting old, it eventually loses its overall energy efficiency—which subsequently leads to higher energy costs for your entire property. So, it’s important to remember how skyrocketing energy bills are one of the most common red flags associated with needing a heater replacement.
It’s Not Surprising To Us When We Hear About Cold Spots Inside Houses
If you’re feeling cold spots throughout certain areas of your home, it could be due to an aging heating system losing its heating capacity. Random cold spots are another common warning sign that a heating system may need to be replaced.
This situation typically entails a heater doing a good job when it comes to warming up the more centralized areas of a property, but not emitting enough heat to reach every extremity of the home. A lot of people will resort to turning up their thermostats when they come across these cold spots, which is never a good sign.
So, if you have an older heater and you’re also experiencing random cold spots in your home, then it’s a clear indication that you’ll need to contact our HVAC technicians for a thorough inspection!
Don’t Repair An Aging Heater Too Often, And Know When Repairs Aren’t Worth It
Your heating system shouldn’t have to undergo significant repairs on a yearly basis, and it’s important to remember that seasonal maintenance is very different than comprehensive repair projects. If you’re racking up serious repair bills for an aging heater, then it might simply be time to cut your losses and start fresh with a new unit.
It’s also never a good idea to invest in one particular repair project that’s more expensive or equally as expensive as a new installation project.
Reach Out To Beehive Heating & Air When You Think Your Aging Heater May Need To Be Replaced!
Beehive Heating & Air is a top-rated HVAC business located in northern Utah, and our team has supported thousands of homes and businesses with fall HVAC maintenance and heater replacements.
We want to help you prepare your property for the upcoming winter season, so reach out to us online or give us a call at 801-849-3860 to schedule your next inspection today!