Happy Summer! It’s the season of swimming, barbecues, mosquito bites, and getting a new heater. Yes, really! You definitely don’t want to wait too long, have your heater fail during a cold snap in January, and spend days shivering while you find out it can’t be repaired, have it hauled away, and go through the process of purchasing a new one and getting it installed. Don’t let that happen to you! Take the time during the summer, when it’s not an emergency, to assess your heater, decide whether to replace it, and research the replacement options. We’ll help you.
When to Replace a Heating System
There are several factors you should weigh when you’re considering whether a heater has reached the end of its useful life.
- Age: A gas heater can reasonably be expected to work for somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen years, while an electric heater will probably last more like twenty.
- Maintenance: These age estimates are based on heaters which have had annual maintenance—yes, every single year—throughout their lives. Without this, they might only last half as long.
- Repair Needs: Does your heater require a major repair before you’ll trust it to get you through the winter? Just how expensive will that repair be? But don’t forget: while one major repair is an obvious cost, a series of small repairs can cost just as much.
The key here is to consider these factors together. An expensive repair might be a worthwhile investment if your heater is only five years old, or even if it’s ten years old and has been meticulously maintained. But that same amount of money might be silly to spend repairing a heater that is fifteen years old, or even seven years old but never maintained and already requiring frequent repairs.
Heater Replacement Options
Once you make the call that it’s time to look into a new heater, you have a lot to choose from. Do you have relatively-new ductwork that’s in good condition? You’ll probably want a heating system that integrates with that. If you want a lower initial investment and your home is connected to your local utility’s gas lines, a gas heater is a logical choice. But if you’re willing to pay a little more up front, an electric heater will last longer, and might be the perfect system for your home if, for example, you have solar panels.
If your ductwork is in poor condition, a ductless system is an excellent option that provides zone control, which allows you to adjust the temperature individually in different rooms, saving money and keeping family members with different temperature preferences perfectly comfortable. But if your air conditioner is also on its last legs, you should definitely consider a heat pump, which is one-stop shopping for heating and cooling your home all year long.
Professional Installation
One of the things that leads to more frequent heater repair and shorter heater life expectancy is amateur installation. And in the case of a gas heater, most places have laws requiring that anyone who works on a gas line be specially licensed. Don’t put your new heating system in jeopardy, and don’t break the law! Have your heater installed by experts in heating services in New Braunfels, TX.
At Thayer Air Conditioning, your comfort is our #1 priority! Contact us today.
