My heating system was installed in 2012. I travel a lot, and I live in a climate where winter temperatures are well below freezing for extended periods, so reliability is important. My heating system has been reliable until recently, when the circuit board on the zone controller blew (it was straightforward to replace this myself, already done).
Rather than waiting for the next thing to fail, I’m considering getting a new boiler, and replacing everything else with a limited life like pumps, relay-operated valves, expansion tanks. My reasoning is that everything with moving parts is probably near the end of its life anyway, and calling out an emergency plumber to fix/replace things only when they fail will end up being a headache and costing more in the long run.
Is this sensible? Is the expected life of a modern boiler and other components much longer than 10 years? It is a good quality modern system, clearly expertly installed.
I have an oil boiler I installed around 2011. I already had to have the firebox relined. The old one, a very similar Weil-Maclean model that was much much older was just about worn out, but the firebox was of much heavier cast iron construction. From talking to the service guys it’s probably got a life of about 20 years, with replacement of parts along the way, instead of 30 years for the older models because it was just built lighter. So over this summer I’ll have a lot of plumbing work done that will replace the auto-fill valve. the circulator pumps, and several shut off valves, hoping to get 10 more years out of it. I’m pretty much hoping to get 10 more years out of me also, but I’m already not installing any more oil burners myself.
ETA: I should mention I have a service contract on the system with the oil company and they do cleanings every year and replace certain parts on call. The actual oil burner, the part that blows air, sprays fuel oil, and ignites the mix might last much longer or for less time than the rest of the appliance. I also replace my oil tank just a few months ago. If you have an old simple metal tank check it for little stalactites from oil seepage. Don’t touch them! Just be prepared that your tank will need replacing some day.
Life expectancy is 10-15 years and dependent on brand and maintenance.
Additional factors are how much you can do yourself. I kept my old boiler going for 18 years in the last house but I replaced the water pump, cleaned out the fire chamber myself. Replaced the controller.
So, if you don’t want to do the work yourself, it might be a good time indeed to replace the system.
Have you considered any kind of remote temp (or other environmental) sensors, some of which transmit via either Wi-Fi or cellular, and some of which include monthly monitoring services.
For example:
We get a serious winter, too. The consequences of an extended freeze were we out of town for too long could be disastrous.
You’d of course, need a good neighbor, a friend, or a contractor that you could call if you got the alert that something had gone seriously awry, but … maybe a belt-and-suspenders thought for you.
I should have specified gas, but I think your general experience is still applicable, thanks.
I’ll do very minor stuff, but I really don’t have the competence to do what you are doing.
It’s a big outlay in one go, but I’m reasoning that I’m probably only sacrificing another 5 years of potential life, so my amortized cost is only about one third of what I will pay.
My decision is also partly influenced by plumbers increasing their rates to absolutely ridiculous numbers, I have been quoted a labor rate of $275 per hour for a routine callout. So I’d rather be getting several competitive bids for doing it all as one big non-emergency installation, which allows the possibility of a company coming from Albuquerque rather than just locally, rather than be beholden to paying whatever Santa Fe plumbers demand for emergency callouts.
Yes, I have multiple independent sensors - smart thermostats, incorporated in a FLO emergency mains shutoff system, and via Alexa. So I get bombarded with warnings on my phone if there’s a problem, and I have a great housekeeper who gets texted if I’m not here, and friends nearby to back her up.
So I’m well protected, but if a problem happens it still neds to be fixed and I cant remember ever getting a bill under $500 from a plumber in the last few years, even for something trivial. They all have the same scam - I don’t have the part on my truck, so I have to get it from the plumbing supply shop while you continue to pay me $250 an hour for my time. Plumbers might as well just drive around in Ferraris, based on the rates they charge and the fact that their big vans are apparently completely empty.
I’m going through the same dilemma right now. I have a natural gas boiler for heat and a natural gas water heater for domestic hot water. They are both 16 years old, and my insurance company has given me an ultimatum to replace the tank. The question is how much longer my boiler will last. I’ve heard estimates of 15-25+ years for cast iron boilers on a closed loop, as it limits the rust that would destroy an open system.
Given a water heater is about $4k installed up here, vs $15K+ for a combi that will do both in one, I’m just doing the WH and will play Russian Roulette with the boiler.
As mentioned, older boilers were nearly indestructible. The one in my house in Anchorage was 20 years old when we bought the place, and over 30 when we sold it. It certainly wasn’t the most efficient piece of gear, but still ran just fine. Water heaters, on the other hand, bear watching at about 10 years and probably ought to be replaced as a preventative measure.
I have what I think is called a “system” boiler. The cold water supply comes directly from the mains, but I have a hot water cylinder. When you say the water heater is liable to fail at 10 years, what part of the system are you talking about? Is the cylinder where the hot water is stored and the heat exchange takes place usually just replaced in its entirety as a module?
I’m talking about a separate water heater. The pan tends to rot out after a number of years and then you have a flood, particularly if the heater hasn’t been properly maintained.
I’m not too clear on this - does a similar point of weakness exist in my type of system?
Perhaps I’m a little less worried about this risk relative to complete failure of the heating system. My hot water cylinder is in the basement, where I have a sump pump; and I have a FLO system that automatically shuts of the mains supply if there’s a leak. So I’d be looking at a tankful of water on the unfinished concrete floor or my basement, but nothing worse.
Not sure what you have. Usually a household hot water supply is heated by a coil in the boiler that has an output to a cold water mixer to control the hot water supply temperature. That water may be used directly or stored in a separate insulated tank similar to a standalone hot water heater. Or in my case I feed an electric hot water heater from the coil in the winter time and shut the boil down in the warm weather months. Those coils usually need replacing more often the rest of the boil. Sometimes there is no separate hot water storage and the hot water supply comes out of the hydronic heat system piping, also going through a cold water mixer.
Sorry if I don’t know the correct terminology for what my type of system is called, but a single heated water circuit comes out my boiler and splits, one branch feeding the radiator system and the other entering the hot water cylinder module. Mains supply also enters the hot water cylinder. So the heat for the hot water comes from the same circuit as the radiators, with heat exchange taking place inside the hot water storage cylinder module.
Boilers tend to last longer than forced air furnaces, as many have cast iron heat exchangers. I would expect a boiler to last much longer than ten years.
There’s not as much iron in them as there used to be and now they rely on a replaceable refractory lining. Some of the forced air furnaces use a ceramic firebox that is supposed to be long lasting, although I have no info on how that works out.
Maybe, but are we talking gas or oil? I still expect a boiler to go 20-30 years, what with water on the other side of the cast iron–not as thin or stressed as a forced air heat exchanger.