Replacing Old Furnaces

[Spencer Krautkramer]

For those that live in cold states, do you replace your furnaces before winter if you think it might be on the last leg of its life to avoid an emergency in the middle of winter? If so, how do you know when it's time to replace them?

[Kevin Sobilo]

@Spencer Krautkramer, why do you think its on its last legs? Some people get nervous just based on the age of a unit because 20 years seems old to them but I would expect a boiler to last 25-40 years and sometimes longer!

For example if you have a 25 year old boiler, you "could" replace it, but could you easily get 10-15 more years out of it?!? Sure, you can.

I would consider adding a back-up source of heat as part of the planning. If you add a couple large strips of electric baseboard heat which is not terribly expensive to do, then you won't have any heating emergencies. A newer unit can fail too, so this can be a nice upgrade IMO. It also allows you to ride out an older boiler with confidence that if there is an issue that it won't be an emergency to handle. Getting an extra 10-15 years out of boilers is literally cutting your replacement costs in half versus replacing at the 25 year mark because you get so much more life out of it plus the time-value of money!