Replacing your home’s heating system may not be how you want to spend the first month of 2019, but if you detect the signs your heater is on its last legs, having it done as soon as possible is the best route. The winter weather is only going to get colder, and if your heater breaks down on you, it can mean a longer stretch without any heating at all—you never want that.
We want you to catch early the indications you have a heater that’s near The End. There are many different signs of a dying heater, and they’ll usually come in a cluster. Please don’t ignore these and simply hope the heater will make it through to spring!
Utility bills are rising—and it’s surprising
You’ve had your heater for many years, so you’ll have a good idea of how much it costs to run it from month to month. If your utility bills for December arrive and you see a much higher cost for natural gas (or electricity, depending on the heating system), it’s a major red flag of a dying heater. If the system is under ten years old, you may be able to have it fixed and keep going. Older than ten years, it may be best to get a new heater put in.
Noisy operation
A single strange sound from a heater can warn that it needs a repair: clicking, hissing, mechanical grinding. But when the heater is running all-around louder than before, making a general racket, it probably doesn’t have much longer. Wear and tear have caught up to it, and it’s probably ready to be retired for a replacement.
Uneven heating
Do parts of the house feel colder than usual when the heat is on? Uneven heating is one of the first signs a heater is losing its ability to function. You won’t usually feel a general drop in comfort around the house at first, but you will notice cold spots in the rooms most distant from the heater. Although there are other potential causes for this trouble, call for a technician to find out if the heater’s age is the problem.
The age of the heater
Speaking of which … this isn’t so much a sign as a way to measure when the signs are serious enough to warrant a replacement. Most heating systems can last from 10 to 15 years. Heat pumps on the lower end, furnaces in the middle, boilers on the high. (A boiler can often last more than 20 years.) When a heater is above its system expectancy and begins to show signs of wear, or if it’s racking up too many repair bills each year, go with a replacement.
Replacing old heaters with sparkling new units is only one of the many heating services in Bethesda, MD we deliver for our customers. We install heaters for new homes, repair any size of heating malfunction, and provide routine maintenance to help heaters run for many years. Our technicians are licensed and insured to see that you have the best heating help possible.