How Long Do Boilers Last?
Upgrading your oil heating equipment can lower your winter expenses.
Your home’s boiler isn’t like any other piece of equipment. It’s absolutely vital for keeping your family and house safe during the icy winters in Hampton Bays and elsewhere in Suffolk County. If your boiler breaks down at this time of year, you’ll be piling coats on your bed and worrying about frozen plumbing.
A boiler is also a large, complex piece of equipment — not the kind of thing you can easily fix or replace yourself. At Burt’s Reliable, we have a team of thoroughly trained and experienced HVAC technicians who can handle a boiler installation quickly and safely. We can also help you determine if your boiler needs to be replaced.
What is the average lifespan of a boiler?
When maintained properly, modern oil-fired boilers typically last around 15 years and sometimes as long as 20 years. Older boilers can have longer lifespans. We’ve even seen 50-year-old cast iron boilers that are still running. (As people say, they don’t make ‘em like they used to!)
When should you replace an older boiler?
As a boiler gets older, its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) becomes lower. The AFUE rating is a metric that tells you what percentage of the fuel your boiler consumes goes to heating your home versus how much gets wasted. It’s comparable to your car’s miles-per-gallon metric.
By the time a boiler passes 15 years of service, its AFUE could be 60% or lower. That means at least 40 cents of every dollar you spend on heating oil is wasted.
Upgrading to a new high-efficiency boiler may bump your AFUE rating into the mid to high 80s. You’ll start enjoying superior fuel efficiency and lower fuel consumption. Plus, you won’t have to worry about constant breakdowns and the pricy repairs that come with them.
Are old boilers unsafe?
It’s important to note that heating oil is one of the safest ways to heat your home. In its liquid form, this fuel presents no substantive risk of explosion. Your boiler’s burner needs to vaporize and superheat it to make it combust.
Even an older system is safe as long as you arrange annual boiler maintenance. You can count on the technicians at Burt’s Reliable to provide expert boiler maintenance.
One thing worth noting is that modern boilers have safety features that automatically shut down their burners if there’s a safety issue. Older products may not have these features.
Burt’s Reliable is your home heating partner.
The best way to ensure that your boiler runs safely, efficiently and for the longest lifespan possible is with regular maintenance. We offer Heating Oil Comfort Plans that protect your equipment and include a complimentary annual tune-up. When you cover your boiler with our service plan, you receive priority emergency service and receive significant discounts on repairs.
And if you think it’s time to upgrade to a higher-efficiency oil-fired boiler, our team is at your disposal to find the best product and install it for you.
Interested in enrolling your boiler in a Burt’s Reliable service plan? Reach out to us today for more information.