Replace that Old Boiler before It Breaks Down!

With winter here in full force, you can’t afford to have your home’s boiler give out on you. If you arranged for professional maintenance for your boiler before the winter started, it ought to be in excellent shape. But nothing is certain, especially if you have an old boiler that’s getting close to replacement age.

How old is “too old” for a boiler?

The good news is that boilers last for longer than most other types of heating systems, so “old” is “pretty old.” If your boiler is well-cared for, it should be able to last past 20 years while maintaining energy efficiency and heating power. However, any boiler that’s over two decades old is one that should have a replacement sooner rather than later.

Drops in energy efficiency

One of the biggest warning signs that your 20+ year old boiler is coming close to the end is when it turns more expensive to run it each winter. Compare your energy bills over the past few cold seasons. Is there a trend upward that isn’t because of 1) fuel prices or 2) increased use? If so, then the boiler is aging to the point where it’s no longer cost-effective to keep it working. A new, more efficient boiler is called for.

Corrosion

A boiler is built to resist corrosion for most of its service life. When corrosion does start to appear, it’s a major indication that the boiler is over the hill and continuing to repair it isn’t worthwhile.

Repairs stack up

Are you paying more than $500 a year in repair service to keep your boiler heating away? That’s too much! And if any single repair would cost around half (or more) of the cost to have a new boiler installed, then going with the new boiler is the right choice.

We hope this helps you avoid a broken boiler on the coldest day of the year! If you have any questions, or you want to arrange for boiler services, call our experts.

Brilliant Home Services offers same-day, on-time heating service to Park Ridge, IL and throughout Chicagoland.