Winter is here, and what better time to learn all about your HVAC system furnace? Homeowners all over have fired up their furnace in order to keep their indoor air comfortably warm! When outside temperatures are extremely low, your furnace turns into your best friend!
Even though home furnaces are pretty common household appliances, many homeowners do not understand exactly how it works! Whether you are a new homeowner looking to buy a home, a homeowner looking to replace their furnace, or anywhere in between, it’s a good thing to understand how your system works.
What is a furnace?
Typically, your HVAC system and furnace is a gas-powered central air system that heats air in one area of your home and distributes it through the rest of your home by ductwork and ventilation. Furnaces can also run off electricity, propane and solar power, but gas powered furnaces are the most common among homeowners.
Furnaces have changed over time, mostly to benefit us! Traditional furnaces were known to have high energy bills, which is why high-efficiency furnaces began to take over! Both systems work the same, but have a few differences as well; the main difference being their ventilation method.
Furnace vents
When it comes to heating your home, your furnace vent is installed to make sure you stay safe! During the process, your furnace uses natural gas to heat your home, which produces byproducts in return. Traditional furnaces vent these gasses vertically through an exhaust system attached to your furnace. Your furnace vent takes the combusted waste and vents through pipes that are either coming out of your roof or the side of your home via steel or PVC pipes.
The ventilation process for high efficiency furnaces is a little different. Older furnaces vent out all of the gases right away, while high-efficiency furnaces extract the heat from these gases before sending the rest of the mixture out of your furnace vent. This helps your system save energy and money, while keeping you comfortable and safe!
Gas furnace components
In order for your HVAC system and furnace to work properly, there are a lot of components that rely on each other to work efficiently. Here are some main components to your furnace!
- Thermostat - This is a temperature activated switch that tells your furnace to begin or stop whenever the temperature inside your home fluctuates.
- Burners - Furnace burners are a set of tubes where gas is directed and burned. This works hand in hand with the gas valve, igniter and flame sensor to help control flames and heat your home to the appropriate temperature.
- Heat Exchangers - Another set of metal tubes which are heated by the burners to warm the inside air. As gas combusts inside, the heat exchanger gets hot and transfers radiant heat into passing air.
- Blower - This fan helps direct air coming from return ducts back into the heat exchangers.
- Vents - Helps collect and release combustion gases to the outside, keeping your home’s air fresh and healthy!
Your home’s furnace is a very needed system, especially during a Nebraska winter. Understanding the basic processes that go through your heating system will help you identify any problems much easier!
When it comes to home heating, ServiceOne is here to help. We offer heating services throughout the Omaha, Neb. area, and our main goal is to keep you comfortable and satisfied. To learn more about our heatiner services, visit our website or give us a call!