Furnaces are common around here. If you take a survey of your neighborhood and ask them about the type of heater they rely on, you’ll likely hear about many gas furnaces. They’re affordable, powerful, effective, efficient, and they’ve really got no downsides that other systems don’t have as well.
Now, just because people have gas furnaces doesn’t mean they know as much as they should about them. In this economy, it can be easy to invest in a heating system just because you need one, without actually knowing the advantages of said system. So, as your experts on furnace service in Gainesville, FL, we’d like to give you some nifty factoids about your furnace.
The hope is that these tips enlighten you to how your furnace works and helps you notice if you need professional help. If you do, our team is always available to help.
1. Your Furnace Is Safe!
When we talk to homeowners who don’t have gas furnaces but would probably save money with one, the first thing we hear is that they are frightened of “gas-burning appliances” in their homes. We get it. There are plenty of movies, TV shows, books, and horror stories about the risk that comes with a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning, but these incidents are so unlikely that you’d be surprised.
Gas furnaces are actually incredibly safe. Not only are they built to be some of the most durable systems on the market, but they’re also resistant to overheating with automatic safety shutdown protocols. Something has to go seriously wrong with your furnace, which is only going to happen through sheer neglect and years of problematic operation. Basically, as long as you pay some attention, your furnace is as safe as any other heating system.
2. The AFUE Rating
The AFUE rating stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency, and it’s basically a long-winded way of saying energy to heat ratio. The higher the AFUE rating is, the more heat gets extracted from natural gas and gets enjoyed by your family.
So, when you’re shopping for a new furnace system and you stumble on AFUE ratings that are exceeding 90, think about these numbers like a ration. An AFUE of 90 means that 90% of all the gas burned turns into heat that can be used by your home. As furnaces get more efficient, the AFUE ratings rise and you get lower heating bills and more comfort. Isn’t that neat?
3. Maintenance Is Necessary
There’s a misconception permeating our industry that maintenance is an optional service. Too many homeowners purchase new furnaces and just spend a few years shopping around for a maintenance plan without actually getting the maintenance done on their system. Not only is maintenance vital to avoid repairs and keep efficiency levels high, it’s also integral to the safety of your system.
Remember when we said that furnaces are overwhelmingly safe? Well, they can very quickly become unsafe if you don’t invest in yearly maintenance. It’s important to take into account the price of maintenance when investing in a new heating system like a furnace.
Contact North Central Florida Air Conditioning for help with your furnace. Improving lives by improving homes!
