As the Fall begins, homeowners start to kick their Furnaces by having them tuned-up, diagnosed and by running test runs. Before we begin sharing the interesting facts about the residential Furnace, here's a piece of advice for you;
If you haven't had your Furnace tuned-up for Winter yet, do it now. In addition to that, if your Furnace had been giving you hard time in the last Winter and is also old, consider calling an HVAC professional to have the system diagnosed and decide if it needs replacement. Remember that in the midst of the heating and cooling season that we are now in, HVAC professionals are relatively free to perform the installation, repair and maintenance tasks. Once the peak season begins, it is harder than bringing stars from the sky to get an appointment with a pro.
Furnaces are the most common home heating systems
If you're using a residential Furnace for indoor heating, you're among that vast majority that uses Furnaces for the purpose of heating. Over the last decade, the use of Furnaces has increased to a great extent. While Furnaces can be run on gas, oil and electricity, most homeowners prefer to run their system on natural gas. According to the US Department of Energy, Furnaces that are run on natural gas cost up to 30% less compared with electricity run Furnaces.
Furnaces are older than you possibly think
So what's your sharpest guess? How old are Furnaces? Five decades old? Ten decades old? No matter how long you stretch your guesses, you won't reach accuracy. Actually, the Furnace technology is as old as 1200 BC. Initially introduced by the Romans with the name of ''Hypocausts'', this technology improved over time and is now in the form that we see it in. Romans used Furnaces for the purpose of metallurgy, smelting iron and for other similar uses.
Furnaces are friends that go long way along
Yes, one of the loveliest facts about Furnaces is that they don't betray you. Once you've installed a Furnace, they get along for years and years. The lifespan of medium efficiency Furnaces is 18-25 years while that of the high-efficiency Furnaces is 15-20 years. One of the reasons why people know so little about their Furnace systems is that they have it already installed when they buy or rent a home and also don't have to replace it for years later.
Furnaces are composed of three main component
The three components of a Furnace system are:
- Blower
- Burner
- Heat exchanger
The purpose of the burner is to create heat. The Heat Exchanger then separates the breathable and combustible gas and the blower then blows the breathable air towards the supply ducts. There are other components as well but these three are responsible for the heating process.
Furnaces have local and national regulations
As said earlier, Furnaces are the most commonly used home heating appliances, it is important to also make them the safest ones. To make it possible, Furnaces are regulated with local and national regulations, for instance, it is not allowed to use a Red Tagged Furnace. These regulations are important for homeowners, for the safety of the public in general and for the safety of the environment. A poorly installed Furnace can put life and property at stake while it can also harm the environment in the worst of fashion.