HOW OLD IS TOO OLD?

I often run across oil and gas furnaces that are fifteen or seventeen years or older. These furnaces are still plugging away providing reliable service as they have for years. No exhaust leakage. No corrosion. No smell. No odd noises. Just heat day after day.

The heating industry will say that the life span of a furnace is 15 years, although this number may be slightly different depending upon whom you ask. But certainly the implication is that a furnace is ready to go out to pasture after 15 years. The problem with sending a functioning, safe and reliable furnace out to the stud farm is that the new ones are so darned expensive! If the 15 year old furnace is still able to supply years of good service, why should it be replaced?

The choices seem to be; hold on to the old furnace for as long as possible and spend that money visiting somewhere with palm trees. Of course should the owner decide to sell the house in five or six years that fifteen year old furnace will now be twenty one years old and the next home inspector will make it the centre piece of his report. At that point the owner either reduces the price of the house accordingly or buys a new furnace for the new owners. The other choice seems to be buying a new furnace now and spending holiday time in the basement.

Life is never simple. But those palm trees are sounding pretty good after a long Canadian winter.