About Gas Furnaces

Over the past decade, there has been a shift in the way people heat their homes. The old style of wood fireplaces and electric heaters has slowly been replaced with gas furnaces. This is not a big surprise given the ease of use and the lack of extra work involved with the maintenance of gas furnaces.

Significance

One of the main things about gas furnaces is their ability to produce maximal amounts of heat for minimal fuel usage. This offers a great economic impact. They also leave behind less toxins and have gotten so technologically advanced that chimneys are often times not even required.

Features

Gas furnaces have an ignition system. This is usually a direct spark or hot surface ignition. This has replaced the once popular pilot light.
They are often set up with zone heating. This is mostly seen in larger homes and it is characterized by being able to deliver various amounts of heat to different areas in a house.
Heat exchangers are what draws the heat from the burnt gas. The more energy efficient furnaces have a secondary exchanger that increases the heat output.
Variable speed blowers have the ability to deliver heat slower when it is less needed. This leads to a more continual flow of air that eliminates drafts and fluctuations in temperature.

Identification

A condensing gas furnace is characterized by using existing heat that is usually lost through the flue of a chimney. It is recirculated through a heat exchanger and the cool air is then sent through the flue while the hot air gets sent back into the house. They have an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of 90 to 97 percent. The AFUE is a standard that is used to rate the efficiency of a furnace. Old furnaces come in at about 60 percent.

Size

BTUs are used to determine the amount of heat a gas furnace can generate. BTU is an acronym for British Thermal Units. The BTU rating is based on input and output. The input is how much is produced and the output is how much heat is actually utilized. This is where the efficiency rating comes into play. If a 100,000 BTU furnace has an efficiency rating of 92, then it will offer 92,000 BTUs.

Benefits

One major benefit of a gas furnace is they don't leave a residual smell in a house such as that of an oil furnace.
They won't leave behind stains on the ceilings and walls as is often seen with wood burners.
Gas furnaces also don't require as much servicing as other furnaces. This will eliminate the yearly costs of a maintenance man.
They also only require a small pipe going to the exterior of a house for ventilation. Unlike a large chimney, this can save space and money.