Owning and maintaining a gas furnace isn’t exactly inexpensive, which is why furnace owners want to get the most out of the unit they have. Though it would be nice for your furnace to just work optimally for decades, every unit has a general number of years during which it will be able to work well. That general life span won’t be the same for every furnace, and it depends greatly on how well you keep your furnace maintained. If you’re looking to give your furnace a long life span, you’ll need to put in a little bit of work. Here are a few ways that you can extend the life span of your unit.
What Is the Average Life span of a Gas Furnace?
If you’re hoping to give your gas furnace a long life span, it’s good to know what a normal life span for a gas furnace is. You shouldn’t expect your gas furnace to work forever, but you should also know that it’s supposed to work a lot longer than just a few years. The average life span for a gas furnace is around 15 years, which is the amount of time that you should expect your furnace to last so long as you keep it in good standing. Keep in mind that if you neglect your furnace, it may not reach that milestone. But if you keep your furnace in good shape and you have it serviced regularly, it could very well exceed that number.
Have Regular Maintenance Performed
When you desire a longer life span for your gas furnace, the best thing you can do is have it maintained regularly. Your furnace gets a lot of use during the year, especially in the winter months, and all that use can cause occasional minor problems. Just like your car goes in for a check-up every once in a while, your furnace should be looked after the same way. These semi-occasional check-ups can keep your system up-to-date and in good condition.
When you schedule regular maintenance, a professional will come to inspect your gas furnace to see what kind of shape it’s in. During that time, they may notice that a minor problem is occurring that can easily result in a larger problem if not corrected. Rather than waiting for the furnace to malfunction on its own, a professional will address the issue and correct it accordingly.
If taking on the task of keeping up with maintenance is a potential issue for you but you still wish to expand the life of your furnace, you can enroll in a planned maintenance program through an HVAC company. Businesses like Entek have planned maintenance programs that take away the hassle of having to keep up with things like your warranty or making maintenance appointments. They’ll send you a reminder when you’re due for a maintenance check-up so that you can ensure your furnace is working well all year long.
Clean Your Filters
The life span of your gas furnace can significantly decrease if you fail to change your filters. Dirty filters create a thick barrier that makes it harder for your unit to push air through. Because your furnace is designed to heat your home effectively, it doesn’t maintain its normal energy output when your filter is dirty. Instead, it increases energy output. Your gas furnace will work twice as hard to try to maintain your desired temperature, despite having to go through a dirty filter, which can decrease the life span of the unit.
A dirty filter can also contribute to mold growth that can be released into the air and contribute to health problems for the people in your household. The simple solution to this is to make sure that you clean or replace your filters regularly. If you have a reusable filter, you’ll need to clean it, but if you don’t, you’ll simply have to replace it. A clean filter will allow your unit to work more efficiently and save its energy for more years of use.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat
Another way that you can increase the life span of your gas furnace is to gain more control over the use of your furnace. A programmable thermostat is a way for you to have more control over the temperature of your home during all hours of the day. With this option, you can program your thermostat to a lower temperature when you and your family are gone for the day or gone on vacation. You can also program the thermostat to increase the temperature shortly before you get home so that you don’t have to experience any discomfort.
If you opt for a smart thermostat, this advanced technology not only allows you to have this control, but it allows you to have it without needing to be in the house. Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats give you the freedom to change your settings from any device that is connected to the internet, no matter where you are.
Invest in an Efficient Unit
If you’re in the market for a new gas furnace, you want to be sure to invest in one that’s energy-efficient. An energy-efficient model will only use the amount of energy needed to heat your home, which allows it to save energy for another time. When you’re looking into getting an energy-efficient gas furnace, you should be looking for its annual fuel utilization efficiency number (AFUE). This number will tell you how efficient the unit is at converting its energy into fuel. In this case, the higher that AFUE number, the better. The Federal Trade Commission requires new furnaces or boilers to display their AFUE to help customers better compare models.
Not only can an energy-efficient unit give your gas furnace a longer life span, but it can also come with big savings. With this option, customers use up to 30 percent less on fuel and energy than an older, less-efficient furnace. This leads to a significantly lower utility bill and contributes to a healthier environment. An energy-efficient unit can be a great replacement for an older unit and allow you to start fresh by keeping the unit’s life span in mind from the beginning.
