old and seems to work fine and i drain the water frequently to keep it clean and keep an eye on the water level. does it make any financial sense to replace the thing before it breaks? someone told me it is a lot cheaper to replace them in the off season.
2007-03-14 04:09:15 · 7 answers · asked by mark s 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Not only is it cheaper, and you avoid having cold weather with no furnace, but the new furnace will be much more energy efficient and therefore cheaper to operate.
2007-03-14 04:17:11 · answer #1 · answered by Larry 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd have to agree with those that said wait. The new high efficiency boilers will save you money but they are expensive. It would be hard to make up your money unless you plan to live there the rest of your life, then maybe. If you really would like to extend your boiler life then quit draining it. There is no reason to do this and you are only introducing oxygen into the system. That means you will rot it from the inside out. Also the person that said to have a furnace fund has the right idea.
2007-03-14 11:45:00 · answer #2 · answered by mike c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well you will have the luxury of shopping around and comparing features. This can be a really smart thing if you don't have an alternative way to heat your home.
With a boiler, you have additional risks of failure which might include flooding, rather than just no heat if something started leaking while you were out.
Older (well made) boilers can run for 50 years or more. But I doubt one built 20 years ago has that much integrity. Take a look at Consumer Reports website and see if they have any reliability figures for your heater.
At the minimum, shop around and have a model and installer lined up and keep this data within easy reach if you want to make a run for 25 years.
2007-03-14 05:57:10 · answer #3 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
20 years may be old for a furnace but it sounds like you have a boiler with either water or steam heat. Do you have radiators or baseboard heat? A new boiler may be more energy efficient but it may be more expensive than a furnace. While I love hot water heat, the downside is no AC unless you install an additional seperate unit. If you do have a boiler and switch to a furnace, you will also be paying for installation of duct work.
2007-03-14 05:03:59 · answer #4 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you have a chance, review your fuel consumption and compare it with the mid efficiency or high efficiency furnaces. You will see how quickly you will recover the cost of the new furnace.
20 years is a lot. Just change it.
2007-03-14 04:32:57 · answer #5 · answered by seebcanada 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well if it is still working i would not replace it right away but always keep a furnace fund on hand in case it does break down and u have to go out and get one...
2007-03-14 04:13:38 · answer #6 · answered by naynayjo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's an old saying. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Or in your case, don't replace it.
2007-03-14 10:56:19 · answer #7 · answered by robert b 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋