Keeping Your Furnace Clean And Smooth Running

                                                             

Good old fashioned dirt can do a lot of harm when it builds up in a high efficiency furnace ( or in any other furnace). It can lower operating efficiency and waste fuel. If it gets bad enough it may even cause overheating of the furnace. Your high efficiency furnace needs to be regularly maintained to keep its efficiency as high as possible. Cleaning the furnace is important during regular maintenance. The fan, the motor and the air filter should all be cleaned regularly as needed.

The air filter needs to be replaced at the start of every heating season, and again replaced or cleaned monthly during the period of time the furnace is in use. Remove the air filter and examine it. If it is full of dust and dirt it should be replaced with a new compatible filter of the correct size. The air filter is a glass fiber meshing  framed in cardboard with the size printed  clearly on it. The arrow on the frame indicates the direction that air flows in passing through the filter. Air comes from the return-air duct to the fan, and the arrow  should point toward the fan and away from the duct..

Permanent filters should be cleaned and sprayed with the special chemical material sold for the purpose at home centers. The permament filter is cleaned as specified by the manufacturer's instructions which are usually on a label on the furnace. To replace a filter: open the metal door under the return-air duct.  It is often  marked "filter," or may be just a lid on your furnace housing.

Remove the filter.This is done in different ways on various models of furnace but will be fairly obvious usually.
Check and clean  or replace the filter as required.

Next you should clean the fan, the belts and the pulleys to the fan and motor. Cleaning the fan properly is very important since some types of fan can become badly clogged with dirt. To clean the fan, remove the panel on the furnace. This panel may be attached with screws or can be a slip off type. The fan unit can usually be slid out on its track. After thorough cleaning reassemble the unit and the furnace is ready to go again.

For more information about high efficiency furnaces see our website.Or go to high efficiency furnaces for further details.

How Do I Know When To Replace My Older Furnace?

                                                             



It can be a difficult decision when it comes to replacing your old furnace. A large expense is involved,and it needs good decision making.

When  you are deciding on whether or not to replace an older furnace the age and the working condition of the unit are the most important factors involved. Furnaces which are fuelled by natural gas or oil frequently last for some 15 to 20 years, when they have been properly maintained.

Heat exchangers in older furnaces are less efficient than those in new machines, and produce less usable heat from the fuel they burn. Fan motors are of single speed construction, and are therefore considerably less efficient then the state of the art motors in new furnaces.

The old furnace may not have been well maintained, or air filters serviced regularly. This shortens the useful life of the furnace, and necessitates earlier replacement. It is very wise to have your furnace serviced every year, and to routinely inspect and replace air filters which are dirty.

Many old furnaces were oversize for the home they were installed in. Fuel was dirt cheap years ago and efficiency was the last thing people thought about. The correct sizing for your new furnace should be worked out by an experienced installer, and will very often be smaller than the size of the old unit.

 Less fuel will be consumed because of its smaller size, and also due to the fact that it has a very much better efficiency rating (AFUE).  Furnaces manufactured 20 years ago or earlier are commonly about 60% efficient or even less.

The new high efficiency furnaces of today have 90% to 97% AFUE ratings, and consume a lot less fuel to heat a home properly. Most high efficiency furnaces can be installed making use of the same ductwork  the old furnace used. So there is no extra expense for new ducts.

Exhaust gases are normally vented through a side wall of the home and the chimney is no longer needed. The exhaust gases are at a quite low temperature, and can be vented to the outside using plastic piping through a side wall. Fresh air to fuel the furnace is pulled in through plastic piping from outdoors also.

Your new  high efficiency gas furnace will dramatically cut your fuel bills, and this considerable saving  will pay for the new furnace. The length of time needed till this payout takes place will depend on fuel consumption of the furnace. In cold climates more fuel is used to heat the home and the saving will be bigger than in warmer climates. Over time you will get back the cost of the furnace from the fuel savings. The price of natural gas as with all fuels is likely to increase in the future which will make the savings even bigger.

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High Efficiency Furnaces Require An Insulated Energy Efficient Home

                                                      
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Many homes more than twenty years old have inadequate insulation for high efficiency use of heating systems. Before installing a high efficiency furnace this should be remedied by installing the necessary insulation materials in the walls, roof and basement of the home.

Wall Insulation for Existing Construction


The two types of wall most often seen are ofwood-frame construction or solid brick built. For insulating a wood-frame construction wall, loose fill or foam type insulating material is blown into the cavities through holes through holes which have been drilled through the drywall on the inside of the house or through the siding on the outside. Solid brick construction walls have no cavity which is big enough for insulation. A new wall must be built inside the home and insulated during its construction, alternatively board stock along with new siding can be applied to the exterior of the home although this is somewhatless effective usually. When planning to do a cavity wall retrofit, remember the following:

Costs For Building A New Wall Are High.

Air and vapour barriers will be needed. Interior drywall itself ,when painted, is an effective air and vapour barrier. Insulation should be applied to will fill the cavity without any settling. Foam insulation can be installed and  is an air barrier in itself.

Attic Insulation

The attic is always cost-effective to insulate. The most common method used is loose fill blown between and over the ceiling joists. Alternatively fibreglass batts may be laid on top ofexisting insulation.


Basement Insulation

Basement walls have to handle moisture coming from both inside and outside the home. The most effective insulation method, is to cover walls on the outside with rigid insulation which is recommended for below ground use, for example you can use extruded polystyrene or rigid fibreglass material.

This has the following advantages:

Works very well for damp-proofing walls and for the drainage of foundations. Rigid fibreglass or mineral wool materials can be used as a drainage layer to keep water away from the foundation of the home.

The basement walls are kept at inside room temperature, which cuts down interior condensation.

The disadvantages are the high cost and also the necessity to cover the insulation above the ground.

Interior insulation methods can also be used. This is accomplished with batt insulation between the studs, or by using extruded polystyrene with strapping on the walls. The advantages of using interior insulation are lower costs and easy application. The disadvantages of interior insulation are as follows:

Any moist air which moves through the wall from inside the home will condense on the cold wall on the outside. Interior insulation should not ever be used in a basement which has had problems with moisture.

Is Insulating Your Home Really Cost Effective?

There is no doubt that good insulation systems will save you money on heating bills, and will cut energy consumption, while also making the home more comfortable for its occupants.

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How To Buy A New Gas Furnace

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The purchase of a new gas furnace and its installation will run to several thousand dollars in many cases. It is imperative therefore that the buyer should carefully check prices from all suppliers, before a decision is made.

The first thing to do is to look at all different makes of furnace which are available and to decide on which of them fits your needs the best. It is a good idea to shop online as well as to ask for prices from local dealers. Go online and search for reviews of the furnaces, to see what owners are saying about them. Read about all the features each model has.  Then when you have decided on which model suits your needs check all local retailers, and get price quotes from them in writing--you will find that they may vary considerably.

The next step is to go online go online and check the price with all suppliers of that particular make of furnace.. Ask for a quote on shipping charges and compare the total cost with local dealer prices. There is often a wide range of prices and you need not pay any more than necessary.

The next cost to consider is that of installation. Some of your local dealers may give you a low price here  when you buy the furnace from them.  However  if they are in their busy season they will most likely charge the top price for installation, even when you buy the furnace from them.

You will need  to hire an installer needless to say if you buy online, and the furnace is shipped to your home. Be wise here and have only a certified  gas installation contractor install your furnace.  If you do not do this, the installation may well be illegal, and your insurance company will not pay if you should have a fire. Be prudent, and have only a certified technician do the installation. This may cost a bit more but it will be done properly.

Look at all the angles when you are buying a new furnace. Make sure that you buy the best furnace, which has good user reviews online, and few complaints. If you find some negative reviews or  many complaints in the comments, you would be well advised to settle on another make. Spend your money only after making certain that you are getting the best buy.

Natural gas furnace prices are highly competitive with online dealers. To get a  really good  price  check all available online suppliers, and  also those in your own locality. Remember to take into account the shipping costs which you incur by buying online, and add this to the buying price to get the final cost.

The gas furnace must be installed using a licensed contractor, who has the proper licence for gas installation. If you purchase from a local dealer and they also install, the installation cost (and hence the total installed cost) could well be less than if you buy online, and  have  a licensed contractor do the installation. All these factors should be taken into account in making the decision to purchase a natural gas furnace either locally or online.
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Condensing Gas Furnaces Are The Most Efficient

                                                         

The most energy-efficient furnaces available are condensing gas furnaces. They are the best replacement furnace in all homes which are heated by natural gas. Here's the reason:

Condensing gas furnaces have an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilisation Efficiency) of from 90 to 97 percent. Old furnaces commonly have AFUEs of 60 percent or even less and standard efficency furnaces have AFUEs of 78 to 84 percent.

Condensing gas furnaces use, about 33 to 40 percent less fuel than old furnaces and 10 percent less than standard efficiency units. This reduces toxic environmental emissions which may be partly responsible for climate change and air pollution.

The higher cost of purchasing a condensing gas furnace will be recovered, over a period of time, through fuel savings. An average homeowner with an old model furnace might save $300 a year or so by installing a 96% efficiency condensing gas furnace.

Condensing gas furnaces are made in all sizes to suit any home. They may be placed in the same location as the old furnace, and can use the same ductwork. All furnaces must be installed by licensed technicians. Read More

Replacing Your Furnace

                                                       

If you have an older furnace it probably puts out more heat than you really need. Furnaces of 15 to 20 years ago and more, were almost invariably over sized for the home.. A furnace of appropriate capacity will run almost continuously on a really cold winter day.

 If  you have a furnace of the correct size for your home, you will have efficient heating for the whole heating season. An oversized furnace runs for only a short time, and never comes up to its top efficiency level. Sizing is less of an issue with modern condensing gas furnaces of high efficiency design. Because of the way they are designd to operate, condensing gas furnaces are efficient even if they are of too high heating capacity.

How do you  calculate the size for a furnace? The heating contractor will use a standard method of calculating furnace size which is derived from government agencies. Having the sizing calculated will cost you $200 – $300 using a qualified contractor.

The two most common reasons for buying a new furnace are: (1.) Your furnace is not working. It has suffered a mechanical break-down,or the old furnace has been  condemned by gas inspectors. In the winter season, with your home rapidly getting colder, you may have to make a quick decision on what to do. (2.) the furnace is aging, or fuel costs are becoming excessive. In this second case, you have plenty of time to shop for and get the best available furnace to suit your home. Read mor

Outdoor wood furnace is another possible replacement for your oil or gas furnace. Modern wood furnaces are highly efficient and save money for more information Outdoor Wood Furnace

Energy Efficiency In The Home

To put it very simply "energy efficiency" means the use of less energy to provide a service. A good example is installing a high efficiency gas furnace in your house. This appliance uses much less natural gas while providing the same heat to your house. Older furnaces have efficiency ratings about 60% or even less. In this case only 60% of the fuel which you burn is converted to heat for the house.

High efficiency natural gas furnaces can convert 92% to 97% of the fuel into direct heat for the house. Thus your new furnace is a lot more energy efficient than the unit it is replacing. Money is saved for the user as well as pouring less polluting gases into the atmosphere. If you replace single pane windows in your home with energy efficient, insulated double pane windows less heat leaks from the house rendering it more energy efficient. Installation of proper insulation in the home also contributes in a big way to energy efficiency.

If the main windows of a house face south this results in more sunlight entering the building which provides natural heat. This is another significant improvement in the energy efficiency of the home. Solar panels, which can be installed on the roof of a house, generate electricity at no cost. Wind turbines are used to generate power where enough wind is available. Alternative power generation methods such as these are energy efficient, and they are also clean in that they cause no pollution of the atmosphere.

Many home appliances including refrigerators, freezers, hot water heaters and others are now much more energy efficient than they were in the past. Replacing older appliances with modern energy efficient models can save considerable power and money. Using compact fluorescent lights in the home cuts power use by 50% or more-- another excellent energy efficiency. More energy savings are obtained by caulking all spaces where heat can leak out from a house which provides a worth while energy saving.

Insulation of the walls,floor and roof of a home is a necessity for energy efficiency. This is certainly one of the biggest improvements which can be made. New homes are built with sufficient insulation these days but older homes in many cases need to be upgraded.

Energy conservation is not the same thing as energy efficiency since it requires doing without some energy consuming items, or reducing use of them, rather than making replacements with energy efficient appliances. A good example is switching off lights as you leave a room which is energy conservation. Using your car less often is energy conservation. Replacing the car with a vehicle that uses less fuel to drive the same mileage,is energy efficiency. Planned use of energy conservation strategies along with use of energy efficient products is the best way to cut power usage. See our website for more information.

Here you will find lots of info about high efficiency furnaces.