It’s difficult to tell sometimes whether your heater just needs a cleaning, a tune-up, or if it’s time for a full replacement. Here at Maki Heating and Air we can help you understand when it’s time to invest in a new unit or if you just need a service visit from one of our friendly, knowledgeable, technicians. There are several ways to tell if your heater is truly on the fritz and needs to be replaced, and we want to make it easy for you to determine when to give us a call.
Your Heater Kicks on Too Frequently
If your heater is kicking on more frequently than normal and you are constantly hearing it shut off just to restart again a few minutes later, it is likely losing efficiency. When a heater can no longer warm the house efficiently, it has to work harder and kick on more regularly just to maintain a consistent temperature in the home. Sometimes this is simply a sign that your unit needs cleaning, but if you are good about maintenance and regularly have your furnace inspected and deep cleaned, then this may be a more serious sign that the heater needs replacement.
You are Constantly Having to Call for Service
While we at Maki Heating and Air Conditioning love helping our customers and are more than happy to come out for regular repairs or heating maintenance as needed, if you are continually having issues with your boiler or central heating and air unit, it may be time to replace it completely. This is because, just like a car as it gets older, sometimes replacing individual parts of a system is less economical than simply replacing the whole unit with something more reliable.
Your Heater is More Than 18 Years Old
Most heaters have a general life expectancy of between 15 and 20 years, but start experiencing some issues when they reach about 10 years old. Once your heating unit hits the decade mark, you usually start to see wear and tear that is not always fixable, reduces the efficiency of your unit, and no longer keeps your home consistently at the desired temperature.
Additionally, if your heater is older it may not be as energy-efficient as newer models on the market, which means your overall energy savings could go up if you choose to purchase a newer system. Choosing one that is Energy Star-rated to replace your old, less energy-efficient model is an excellent way to not only save money but also help the planet. You may even find rebates available for replacing an old furnace with a new, more energy-efficient model.
You Notice Your Home is Not a Consistent Temperature Even Though You Haven’t Adjusted the Thermostat
Older heaters can struggle to maintain a constant temperature, especially in the very cold months. If you are noticing fluctuating temperatures in your home even though you are not changing the setting on your thermostat, your heater may be having a hard time maintaining your desired temperature. We can provide heater maintenance or a tune-up if one is required, but more often and not, a heater’s inability to maintain the temperature setting is indicative of a bigger problem with the overall unit.
Your Thermostat is Having Problems
Sometimes when a heating unit needs to be replaced, you will start noticing issues with the thermostat itself. If you realize the thermostat is acting funny, not able to hold a temperature, or having to be constantly adjusted, this may be a sign that your heater is ready for replacement.Â
Maintaining an Older Unit
While there are many signs that a furnace is ready for total replacement, just because you have an older unit doesn’t mean you can’t get as many years out of it as possible. If you do the most critical things to keep your unit healthy, you will likely get more than a decade out of your heating system.
Regular cleaning and annual maintenance are both essential to keep your energy bill and usage low and the efficiency of your heater as high as possible. At Maki Heating and Air we are ready to help you clean and maintain your heating and air conditioning system so that you can have as many good years out of it as possible before a replacement is needed.Â
Give us a call at (530) 885-3449 or (916) 782-9242 to schedule an appointment today and have one of our expert technicians come to your home to evaluate the health of your unit. We can provide a general inspection, a deep cleaning, or an evaluation of any problems you are experiencing. If you think you need a full furnace replacement, we can help determine that as well. When you need reliable heating and air conditioning service, make it Maki, and we will make sure you are never disappointed!
