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Furnace Repair | Common Furnace Questions Part 1
While every homeowner has a furnace in their house, knowledge about furnaces in general, or furnace repair and maintenance is limited.
This leaves many homeowners with many common furnace questions, what they should be doing, and best practices when dealing with their own furnaces. Here are the top questions asked by homeowners, and the answers they are looking for!
How Does a Furnace Work?
Many homeowners understand that furnaces are responsible for delivering the wonderful warm air to every room in their home, but many people want to know how they work. There are five main components of your typical household furnace and they are: the ducts, heat exchange, thermostat, burners and burner motors. They work together to heat air, and then distribute it around the home.
Your furnace gets a signal from the thermostat – when you turn your thermostat up, or when it senses the temperature has dropped, that signal is received by the furnace, which ignites the burners that will heat the air. Once all the burners are turned on, and the air heats to the temperature on the thermostat, the blower – aided by the blower motor – circulates the hot air using the system of ducts in your home.
What Types of Furnaces Are There?
While residential furnaces are usually divided into four categories, there are different types of heaters depending on what type of building needs to be heated. A residential condo or apartment building, or a commercial and industrial building may require other types of heating such as a boiler. But since most people asking are usually asking about residential furnaces, there are four main kinds, with similar maintenance schedules and all that will need furnace repair at some point.
There is a natural gas furnace, oil burning furnace, electric and propane. They all have their own benefits, when heating the homes in Alberta, which is plunged into winter temperatures for half the year, the most common furnaces found are natural gas and electric furnaces. Natural gas furnaces are the most energy efficient, which is advantageous for Albertans who will have their furnace on for half the year.
Furnace Repair | Natural Gas Furnace Vs Electric Furnace
While natural gas furnaces have a 90 – 98% efficiency rating according to the Federal Government’s Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating many Albertans prefer electric furnaces. They are often the most inexpensive furnace to purchase, and are the smallest models of furnaces, which makes them ideal for smaller homes and homeowners who are concerned with their budget. While natural gas furnaces have burners, electric furnaces have an electrical ignition that heats conductive coils.
So which furnace is better, natural gas or furnace? While most people, especially Albertans prefer natural gas furnaces, electric furnaces are very popular in places where there aren’t any natural gas lines installed. Many rural communities don’t have natural gas lines, therefore electric furnaces make the most sense. Since Alberta has a lot of large, sprawling rural communities, this is why there’s an even split between electric furnace and natural gas furnace popularity. It’s important to note that both types require the same amount of service, and furnace repair.
Oil Burning Furnaces Vs Propane Furnaces
While natural gas and electric furnaces are most popular in Alberta, there’s a chance that Albertans will have an oil or propane furnace in their home. Oil is typically the third most popular choice, mostly for it’s fuel efficiency. While natural gas furnaces have a 90-98% AFUE number, oil furnaces are almost as efficient, boasting a 80-90% AFUE number. Oil furnaces are most popular in colder climates, but primarily in the United States, in the more northeastern parts.
Propane is the fourth option of furnace, however it’s usually the option for when other furnaces aren’t suitable for your home. For example, if you don’t have a gas line or access to oil, propane can be a great option. Propane is also easily stored, so it’s easy to stock the propane needed to keep your furnace functioning, and your house warm. It will also need the same amount of maintenance and furnace repair as other types.
What Is A Furnace Filter?
Often, when people buy their first house, they may know very little about furnaces. This is why it’s important to find a furnace professional you can trust. By asking them questions, and scheduling regular furnace tune-ups, homeowners can learn what to do in order to keep their furnace functioning smoothly all winter, and all year long. One of the first things people will learn about is what a furnace filter is.
A furnace filter is an inexpensive, but vital part of your furnace’s function. It helps trap dirt, debris, dust, pet dander, pet hair and allergens that collect in the furnace’s return duct. A good filter protects the blower fan inside the furnace, and keeps the air that enters back into your home as clean and dust free as possible. The most often you replace your furnace filter, the more likely you will avoid a costly furnace repair.
Furnace filters come in a variety of sizes and styles, ask your furnace expert what kind you should get for your furnace. Clean furnace filters help your furnace run efficiently, and prevents components from wearing out. Replace your furnace filter once every three months, unless you have pets, then replace them every other month. A good way to remember to change your furnace filters, is change them when the seasons change. Group together with changing your smoke detector batteries for maximum efficiency.
Schedule A Furnace Tune Up Now
If you haven’t had a furnace tune up in a year or more, you are overdue! Contact a trusted furnace expert, like the ones at Hot To Cold, they will be more than happy to come to your house for a full service tune up. They will clean, inspect and replace any parts that need help, so that you can avoid an untimely furnace breakdown, usually in the darkest days of winter, when your furnace expert is the busiest, also servicing clients who did not get their furnace serviced. Hot to Cold is waiting for your call now!
Come back for more common furnace questions, part 2. We will be letting you know the most commonly asked questions about your residential furnaces, and finding out from an actual furnace expert, the best way to avoid a costly and inconvenient furnace repair!