With hot oil heaters and industrial heating systems in general being such a significant investment, it’s not surprising that many facility managers are tempted to wait until the last minute to replace equipment.
But while it’s understandable in theory, in practice it’s actually not the best idea.
Although it may seem sensible to utilize your existing equipment until it’s no longer possible to do so, it’s actually much more advantageous to replace your hot oil heating equipment before it has lost functionality and your facility is left in the lurch.
Why shouldn’t you wait until the very last minute to replace your industrial hot oil heater? We explore a few key reasons why you should take action to upgrade your equipment before your hot oil heater truly fails.
7 Reasons You Should Consider Replacing Your Industrial Hot Oil Heater BEFORE It Fails
There are many benefits to replacing equipment before it becomes completely obsolete or loses functionality. Here are 7 of the many reasons you should take action sooner rather than later if you’re anticipating having to replace your industrial thermal fluid heater.
The longer you wait, the longer your facility will be operating at less-than-ideal efficiency.
Efficiency tends to fade as equipment ages. As a result, older equipment functions less efficiently in many cases – and if your older equipment is beginning to show signs that it is in need of replacement, there’s a good chance your facility’s efficiency is suffering.
The sooner you replace your hot oil heater, the sooner you’ll upgrade your efficiency. You’ll lose efficiency for longer-term if you choose to wait on heater replacement.
Dysfunctional equipment raises additional safety issues.
If you continue operating an industrial hot oil heater that’s on its way out or is damaged or defective in any way, you’ll find that serious safety issues can arise. It’s always better to replace sooner and avoid potentially dangerous and catastrophic problems caused by a heater that’s no longer functioning at 100%.
Outdated hot oil heaters with issues fail more frequently.
With equipment that’s aging, approaching obsolescence, or just not functioning entirely correctly, chances are you’ll see an uptick in unexpected and unplanned equipment failures. Sometimes, especially with large-scale, imperative pieces of equipment like industrial hot oil heaters, it’s better to cut your losses and replace the equipment before unplanned facility outages start to take a toll on your plant’s profitability and productivity.
Unexpected equipment failures can cause unplanned facility outages.
It’s often easier to plan ahead for an outage than it is to have to accommodate an unexpected outage last minute due to the failure of a piece of equipment.
As a result, despite the fact that equipment replacement is an inconvenience that you may be tempted to put off as long as possible, a planned replacement and facility shutdown is actually much more convenient than an unplanned one! Being proactive about hot oil heater replacement gives you significantly more control over the situation.
Repair or replacement may become more challenging the longer you wait.
As equipment ages, it becomes more and more challenging to find compatible system components or suitable replacement parts. When failure occurs and upgrades are necessary, you may find that the upgrades are more challenging and/or more intensive the longer you have waited to address them. For this reason, upgrading your industrial equipment sooner rather than later is often advantageous.
Not planning ahead for equipment replacement can mean increased facility downtime.
Planning ahead for a repair – rather than waiting for a complete failure to necessitate it – can ultimately reduce facility downtime. Again, you’ll still have to handle the equipment upgrade, but doing so on your timeline and with some preparation can reduce plant downtime which can help you keep profits and productivity up despite needing to tackle a large-scale repair.
Delaying a replacement can ultimately make replacement more expensive.
Yet another perk of planning ahead for a replacement is cost-savings. If you handle your equipment replacement in a timely manner – before failure is imminent and you need to handle the situation urgently – you can avoid paying more to expedite the process.
While upgrading an industrial hot oil heater is certainly costly, there is a financial incentive to handle equipment replacement responsibly and ahead-of-time. Having to handle the situation as an emergency, which may require expedited equipment delivery, overtime for installation professionals, and other added expenses, can have costly consequences.
Don’t Wait To Replace Your Industrial Hot Oil Heater!
If your heater – or another piece of your industrial heating system – is on its way out, resist the temptation to put off repair or replacement. There could be significant consequences for doing so, and there are numerous advantages to handling equipment upgrades in a timely fashion. It’s almost always beneficial to have handled your hot oil heater upgrade sooner rather than later!
Think a hot oil heater upgrade might be around the corner for your facility? Here are some signs to look out for that can indicate it’s time to upgrade.
Wondering if repair or replacement is the right choice for your heating system? Review some key things to consider when it comes to repair vs. replacement here.
Ready to take the first step towards securing a hot oil heater replacement for your plant? We’re here to help! Our team has decades of experience custom designing heaters for facilities in various industries. We can help you find the thermal fluid heater you need to keep your plant up and running!
Give us a call at (715) 748-5888 or contact us online to get the conversation started.