Many homeowners don’t fully understand how there furnace works or know how to troubleshoot problems as they occur. Understanding their home’s furnace and heating system can help homeowners properly maintain and extend the life of the furnace. There are many types of heating systems that vary from space heaters, boilers and furnaces. Each functions slightly differently and has different types of fuel or power sources. Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning would like to put the focus on furnace heating systems and how they work to heat the home.

Components of a Furnace & How it Works

A furnace is a heating machine that is comprised of various components. All furnaces have heat exchangers, burners, blowers, plenums, flues, vent pipes and air ducts. Many furnaces are combined with the air conditioner and share a number of components with the home’s cooling system. A furnace heating cycle begins at the burner. When the temperature drops inside the home, the burners are engaged. Some furnaces will use either a single or dual burner system. This often depends on the size of the home. As the burner runs, it helps drive the gas to the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger sucks in the cold air inside the home and combines it with the gases and turns it into heat. Within the heat exchangers the fuel and air creates small combustion which generates the heat that is then pushed through the air ducts. During the combustion process, the outside air also enters the heating system through a separate vent. The outside air will mix with the heat inside the heat exchangers. However, the air from outside requires an additional filtering to remove the dust and/or small particles out of the air. The filtering process cleans the air and encloses the dust and particles into the plenum. Once the air is heated it is then sent through the home’s air duct system, distributing the heat throughout the home. The primary component for taking and circulating the warm air is the blower. The blower also circulates cool air in the summer and works throughout the year. It is essential to properly maintain the blower as it is undergoing constant wear. Other components are hard at work while the furnace is running. The flue and vent pipe are other components that help to ensure the home’s safety. Gases and other emissions are a natural byproduct of the furnace operating system and needs to be ventilated out of the home. The flue and vent pipes occasionally require the need to be cleaned to ensure these gases are ventilated out of the home safely. Understanding how a furnace works can help better understand how to maintain the home’s heating system. To ensure a healthy furnace make sure to regularly change out the air filters and have the heating system serviced once a year.

Benefits of Annual Furnace Maintenance

A professional inspection, clean and check, and furnace tune up can significantly reduce your energy costs, detect dangers such as carbon monoxide leaks, maintain manufacturer’s warranty, catch minor problems before they escalate into major issues and perhaps most importantly allow the furnace to fulfill it’s main function of heating your home and keeping your loved ones comfortably warm this winter.

Furnace & Boiler Inspection, Tune Ups, Emergency Repair & More in Springfield, Granby, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson, Chicopee & Agawam, Massachusetts

If you have problems with your home’s heating system this winter, and need professional services, contact Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide service for furnace, boilers and more, contact Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning and schedule our services today.