How Long Do Furnaces Last Typically?

How Long Do Furnaces Last Typically?

Your Brandon area home has a heating system you’ve relied on to keep your family warm. If it’s a furnace, at some point you must have asked yourself, “How long do furnaces last?

Was your furnace in place when you purchased your home? Did you purchase your home or install a new furnace in the 20th century? If so, then it’s at least 13 years old. And since most furnaces last between 15 and 20 years, yours could be getting up there!

If the current furnace came with the home, you likely know little about its earlier care. Did the previous owner change the furnace filters regularly? Was preventive maintenance taken care of routinely? These points factor in to how much longer your furnace will last.

The heat exchanger is the heart of your furnace. This part transfers heat from the burning fuel (oil or gas) into the air moving via your home’s ductwork. This metal heats up and cools down as the furnace is used. Heating and cooling expands and contracts the metal, weakening the exchanger.

In the Brandon area, furnaces don’t get the workout they do in northern states, but cleaning and inspection every year is still important for your equipment’s life span. If your HVAC technician finds corrosion or cracks in your heat exchanger, you’ll be replacing something—either the exchanger or the entire furnace—soon.

Exchangers aren’t repaired; they’re replaced. A single crack can transfer deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gas from the inside of the exchanger into the airflow of your home.

Keeping air vents and registers clean and clear also helps your furnace work less, as does air sealing your home.

If you’re still wondering “how long do furnaces last,” contact the pros at Gulf Coast Air Systems. We proudly serve homeowners throughout the Brandon and Riverview areas.

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