{"id":1273,"date":"2020-02-17T11:00:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-17T16:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/?p=1273"},"modified":"2025-09-12T13:56:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T17:56:46","slug":"furnace-age-what-is-too-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/heating-service\/furnace-age-what-is-too-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Furnace Age\u2014Let\u2019s See What Is \u201cToo Old\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/furnace-ancient.jpg\" alt=\"old-furnace\" class=\"wp-image-1274\" width=\"233\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/furnace-ancient.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/furnace-ancient-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Unless you move out of your house, you will eventually need to replace the household furnace. No matter how well you maintain a furnace, it will start to deteriorate from age and wear. Maintenance can help it reach a long service life, but a time will come when you\u2019ll have to make the decision that the furnace is too old and needs a replacement. If this happens around the holidays,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/heating-service\/replacing-radiant-heat-choosing-a-new-system-for-the-holidays\/\"> choosing a new system<\/a> before peak heating season can save you stress and discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is \u201ctoo old\u201d for a furnace? That\u2019s the big question, and it doesn\u2019t have a straightforward answer. Not all furnaces are identical, nor do they wear out at the same rate. In this post, we can provide details about furnace age and performance to give you an idea about when to consider a new furnace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2>The Rough Age Estimate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The standard answer to how long a furnace can last is \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Gas furnace: <\/strong>15\u201320 years<\/li><li><strong>Electric furnace:<\/strong> 20\u201330 years<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You may hear variations on these numbers from different\nsources, with some estimates putting the gas furnace replacement age as early\nas 10\u201315 years. But the numbers above are a close approximation to what you can\nexpect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you aren\u2019t certain how old the furnace is, check on the label\non the inside door of the unit. The label may have the manufacture date on it.\nIf it doesn\u2019t, the date is encoded in the serial number. Go to the manufacturer\u2019s\nwebsite to find out how to read the date from the serial numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Can a Furnace Last Longer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, although not often\u2014and we don\u2019t recommend trying to\npush a furnace past the upper number. An older style of heavy cast iron furnace\nmay last up to 40 years, but if you have one of these in your home, it\u2019s\nprobably already over the 40-year mark. Even a furnace that seems to function\nfine at an advanced age is a candidate for a replacement because of the\nincreased chance of a major breakdown and rising bills. You can purchase a new\nfurnace with better energy efficiency than your current furnace had when it was\nnew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Can a Furnace Fail Earlier?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, yes. And many do. However, this is usually because of a) a manufacturer\u2019s fault, or b) lack of maintenance. In the case of \u201ca,\u201d the equipment warranty will cover the replacement if it\u2019s still valid. And \u201cb\u201d is something under your control. We cannot overemphasize the importance of regular maintenance for a furnace, no matter the type. It\u2019s the best way to see the furnace reaches the longest possible service life. In fact,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/heating-service\/a-tale-of-two-heaters-maintenance-makes-the-difference-during-the-holidays\/\"> routine maintenance makes a big difference<\/a> in how your system performs over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Never Forget Prompt Repairs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, another way to prevent an early replacement is to always schedule <a aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"\/service-areas\/georgetown-de-hvac-refrigeration-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heating repair in Georgetown, DE<\/a> for your furnace as soon as you notice anything wrong with it. If you have an old furnace, the technician who comes to the house can examine it and help you decide if it\u2019s time for a replacement. Don\u2019t make the mistake of delaying repairs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/heating-service\/late-winter-heater-problem-dont-put-it-off\/\">late-season furnace problems<\/a> can quickly turn into emergency situations when ignored. Depend on our experienced team to provide you with honest answers when it comes to the \u201crepair vs. replace\u201d debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>\u201cOver 30 Years of Quality Service!\u201d <a href=\"\/contact\/service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Call Atlantic Refrigeration &amp; Air Conditioning, Inc. for heating repair<\/a> in Delaware and Maryland, DE.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is \u201ctoo old\u201d for a furnace? That\u2019s the big question, and it doesn\u2019t have a straightforward answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[76],"tags":[193,192,99,15],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1273"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2145,"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions\/2145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}