Ontario man’s 69-year-old furnace wins longevity contest

Many new products contain technology that makes appliances smarter and more efficient, but that doesn't mean they'll last longer. Pat Foran explains.

Whether it’s a refrigerator, washing machine, an air conditioner, or any other appliance, there’s an adage that states, “they don’t make them like they used to.”

While many new products today contain technology that can make them smarter and more efficient, those features don’t always mean things will last longer.

An HVAC company in Durham Region recently had a contest to find the oldest working furnace in the area and was shocked to find many residents had ones that were still going strong, even after 40 and 50 years.

The contest run by Button’s Heating and Air Conditioning in Pickering crowned a Bowmanville, Ont., resident as the winner, and he was given a brand-new furnace, installed for free.

“We thought we would try to find one lucky person with the oldest furnace out there and help them enjoy a new furnace,” said Todd Button.

There were plenty of entries, Button explained. The fourth runner up was a 49-year-old furnace, in third place came a 55-year-old one, the second place furnace was 60 years old, and the winner notched 69 years in operation.

It took four people to get the hefty unit out of the house, and furnace owner Doug Bothwell said he doesn’t remember a time he didn’t have it.

“This furnace has been here in the house maybe all of my life,” Bothwell told CTV News.

Bothwell said despite its age, the furnace never gave his family any issues.

“I don’t recall us having any problems whatsoever, not one. It just ran and ran.”

A new Daikin furnace was provided for Bothwell by Daikin and McKeough Supply, and according to Button, the new unit should save him hundreds of dollars a year on his utility bills.

“This is going to be more efficient than that old beast he had because he is going to save a tonne in hydro and significantly in gas as well,” he said.

Why you should consider a new furnace, even if your old one is still running

Most new furnaces are expected to last 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance, but they come with more electronics and sensors making them harder to repair.

However, a new furnace can be 96 per cent efficient while an old one could be as low as 50 per cent.

Button told CTV News that older models had fewer moving parts and were less likely to break down.

“I guess it’s one of those things... they don’t build them like they used to, right? It was purring like a kitten. I was in shock at how well it was still working,” Bothwell said about his 69-year-old working furnace.

Even though it was still heating Bothwell’s home and running smoothly, he said when offered a free modern furnace, he had no thoughts of keeping the old one.

“I can’t complain about it at all. Let’s just hope this one is half as good as the old one. That would be great.”

Despite being “taken out to pasture,” the 69-year-old furnace is not headed to the scrap heap. Instead, it’s being donated to Durham College’s HVAC program where students can study it to see if they can make new furnaces last a little longer.