A furnace is a furnace, right? When it heats your home, Your Furnace happy. When it doesn’t, someone’s got some explain to do!
Well, as you can imagine, there’s a little more to it than that. So, here are some facts to illustrate a little about how it works and more about how you benefit from the heat it provides.
Number one source of heat
More homes are heated by furnaces than any other means. Furnaces are also known as forced air heating systems since air is sent through a system of ducts found in the floors, walls and ceiling. Energy sources include natural gas, oil and electricity, or sometimes a combination. Natural gas systems are the most popular and most economical.
Ancient history
The Romans were the first known civilization to use warm air heating systems. They were called “hypocausts” and pumped heated air through the walls and floors. The first steam-heating system was installed in England so that the Governor or the Bank of England could grow once the weather turned cooler.Three main components
All furnaces contain these components:
- A burner (in gas furnaces) or a heating element (in electric furnaces). This is how the heat is created.
- A heat exchanger that separates combustion gas from breathable air.
- A blower that distributes breathable air throughout your home.
- Long shelf life
Conventional and mid-efficiency furnaces last about 18-25 years while high efficiency systems tend to last 15-20 years. Regular maintenance will keep it running at its best for as long or longer as you hope.
- The “Stack Effect”
We all know that heat rises, but did you know that process is called The Stack Effect? During the winter, the warm air is less dense than the cold air outside. Warm air, if it were in charge, would rise up and out of your home. The rising air causes cold air to be drawn into cracks at the bottom of the house. That’s is why your basement is colder than your highest floor.
- A furnace by another name
The word furnace derives from “fornax”, the Greek word for oven.
Fornax, furnace, heating system…doesn’t matter what you call it. What does matter is that it needs annual preventive maintenance to live up to its full potential. For more information or to schedule service, contact Eagle Service Company today.
