Nobody wants to face a broken-down heating system in the middle of winter. Unfortunately, you may find yourself up against this problem if you let the warning signs of a dying heater slip under your radar. When you know what to look for, you can predict when you’ve got a heating system on its way out—and you can schedule a replacement early and on your own timeline.
We provide quality heating installation in Bergen County, NJ, and we’d like to share our knowledge with you today about the signs of a heater coming close to failing. If you feel unsure about your heater’s fate, contact us and we can help.
One: Age of the heater
The basic age of a heating system can help advise you about when to replace it. Your heating system will have a manufacturer’s estimated service life. For example, natural gas furnaces usually last around 15 years, while electric furnaces can last around 20 or more. Heat pumps last between 10 to 15 years. If your heater has already passed its service life estimate, we recommend you give serious consideration to replacing it before it begins to deteriorate and costs you in higher energy bills and extra repairs.
Two: Uneven heating
One strong sign that a heating system has started to lose its heating capacity is when it cannot effectively heat the entire home the way it used to. You may still have a cozy center of your house, but some rooms no longer warm up enough. Don’t ignore this, as it may mean the heater has started to die—and soon it won’t warm up any part of the house.
Three: Constant thermostat adjustments
How often do you need to adjust the thermostat for comfort? Normally, you should only need to adjust it between daytime and nighttime, or when you leave the house empty. Once you find the right temperature settings, you can coast along. If you have to continually adjust the thermostat because temperatures seem to fly all over the place, you may have a faulty thermostat … or you may have a dying heating system!
Four: Inflation on your heating bills
Do your monthly energy bills look a bit steep to you? If you can account for this increase, it might mean a faulty heating system. If the heater is over its estimated service life, this rise in costs can indicate the heater has started to wear down to the point where repairs and maintenance won’t do much good. Invest in a replacement heater rather than trying to force a power-waster to keep struggling onward.
Five: Numerous and pricey repairs
When you stay current with professional maintenance, your heater will rarely need repairs. When it does start to require repairs on a routine basis, such as every year, it’s a warning the heater has gone into a steep decline. You don’t want to continue to sink money into repairing your heater when you could spend the money on a new system. We don’t recommend you pay for any single repair with a price tag greater than half the cost of a new heating system.
DB Heating & Cooling, Inc serves the heating and cooling needs of customers throughout Rockland County, NY as well as Bergen County, NJ and surrounding communities. You can count on us for expert services. Contact us today!