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I'm considering renting a 3-level SFH, however, when I checked with the owner, I was told that the furnace and A/C are approximately 20 years old. In addition, the hot water heater is about 14 years old and has a 50 gallon capacity.
I'm clueless on this sort of thing, but I'm wondering just how efficient the heating and cooling systems will be in extreme weather (I live in Maryland, so it can get either really hot or really cold in the summer/winter). Will my electric bills be sky high with this old system?
Also, we're a family of five....will a 50 gallon capacity hot water heater suffice for warm showers in the winter?
A newer furnace would probably be more efficient, but I'd have no qualms about renting a place with a 20-year-old furnace. I'd guess that most 20-year-old homes still have the original furnace, probably even most 30-year-old homes and many that are 40 years old. If it's electric instead of gas, that might be cause for concern. You might be able to get last year's utility bills. Ask the landlord.
A 14-year-old water heater is getting pretty old and is likely nearing the end of it's life. 50 gallons is the normal size for homes, and, assuming it's gas fired, that should be large enough. The problem with older water heaters is that they often build up calcium or lime deposits over the years, so it might only hold 40 gallons of water now. In some areas water doesn't have too much lime or calcium in it, or if the home has a water softener that will help.
You probably won't be able to take five long showers in a row without running out of hot water, even with a new water heater. If you keep them short, you might make it. Can you test it? Turn on a hot water faucet and see how long it runs hot. Of course turning up the heat on a water heater will extend the length of time you can take a shower, but it can be dangerous, especially for kids, and I wouldn't do it. Electric water heaters don't reheat as fast so require larger tanks.
the systems are old, but as long as they work, no problem. I'm sure the water heater has build up in it and draining it to clean out any build up will make it more efficient. The heat/ac unit probably is less efficient than a new one. Make sure you change the filters every month, assuming it's forced air. You did not say what kind of heat it is. Forced air uses filters and keeping them clean will increase the efficiency. The previous utility bills will not really tell you the true cost. Previous use may have been different than what you would use.
If the systems go out, it's up to the LL to replace or repair them, so no cost there. Make sure that is in the lease.
If you like the house, go for it.
First, you have 3 children? Your days of hot showers are over! And, I've owned houses with older utilities. Many older utilities are better than new ones and were made to last a lifetime, not disposable. You can contact the electric company for a history of expenses to the property. This is public information and can give you an idea of what to expect. The same holds true for water, heating oil, taxes... Then you can estimate what a new unit would save and whether it would be worth negotiating the upgrades with your landlord. The rent would be higher with new appliances. Keep it all legal in writing. Any change in the rental agreement must be matched with an amended lease.
50 gallon didnt work for my parents house. He put in another tank with a converter and that was fine.
When they put in thier new furnace I was shocked about what was saved bill-wise. Call the utility company and they will tell you what the avg bills are in the past year.
My parents' house was built in the 60s. They replaced the original furnace about three years ago, and the original water heater this year. The water heater still worked, they just decided to replace it because they were doing a lot of work on the plumbing because of a leak behind a wall in the upstairs bathroom. So I wouldn't worry about the age of the furnace and water heater so much as how well they work.
Our house was 30 years old when we bought it and we didn't replace the AC and furnace until probably 10 years later. They were fine. They were well made, heavy duty units. When we replaced our air conditioner the contractor was raving about what a good AC the one were were replacing was. It was HUGE compared to our new one. It just finally quit working one day and while we were at it, we replaced the furnace too. But by then they were 40 years old and worked fine for 40 years.
If you really like this house, maybe you could invest in hiring someone to look at them and give you an idea on their condition. You don't want to have cold showers in this winter and when the summer comes, no AC would be no fun.. Good luck
For what its worth.....We replaced our 35yr. old a/c two years ago, it didn't cool anymore.......It was the best thing that could have happened........This new unit is costing a lot less to run.
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