March isn’t the end of the winter. Spring won’t officially end until the third week of the month, and of course, the actual weather doesn’t pay attention to what’s on the calendar. You can expect cold weather to pop up through April as well.
However … the end of the season is in sight, as well as the time when you’ll turn off your heating system for a long mid-year hiatus. Before you do that, consider what the heater may need in these last days, as well as what your future heating plans are.
“My future heating plans?”
This sounds a bit dramatic, but we’re serious about it. It’s easy to assume a central heating system will just keep working year after year. Yes, it will eventually need to be replaced, but not this year. Probably not the year after that, and so on. This is how people get around to making the assumption the heater will just keep on keeping on. That’s not the reality.
So right now, consider the following about your heater:
- Its age.
- Its history of repair needs.
- Its general performance (i.e. are you usually warm enough)
- Monthly heating bills.
Put those together and you’ll have a better picture of how well your heating system is holding up. Age is extremely important: you can find the manufacture date on the inside of the panel on the heater. Gas furnaces can last from 15 to 20 years, and electric furnaces can go for a bit longer. Heat pumps and the internal parts of a geothermal system can last from 10 to 15 years. When your heating system is in the upper range, pay even closer attention to the other factors.
If your heater is getting up there in age, an increase in repairs, some wobbly performance issues (such as uneven heating), and a gradual rise in heating costs are all telling you that it’s probably time for a new heating installation in Gaithersburg, MD. You always want to be ahead of the heater when it comes to replacement: don’t let the heater dictate when you replace it by breaking down permanently! You don’t want to run it into the ground because, by that point, it will be costing too much to run and may even pose a safety hazard.
If your heater isn’t in the upper age range but has encountered some problems with heating or shown higher bills, we recommend calling us for repairs on it. Even in spring! Delaying on repairs can only make them worse and shorten the heater’s service life. We’ll always be honest with you if we think a repair will keep your heater going for another couple of years without much trouble. We’ll also tell you if we think a repair is too expensive to justify keeping the heater.
No matter where your heater is at in its service life, you can trust that we’ll take care of your household comfort.
At Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing, we pledge to exceed your expectations at every turn. Schedule service today with our team.