If you’re shopping for a new furnace this time of the year, you likely have a lot on your plate. True, we obviously don’t need to worry about frigid temperatures in our part of the country. However, given the baseline of temperatures we’re used to the majority of the year, when those temperatures do drop in the wintertime, we’re thankful for efficient and effective heating systems!
So when it comes time to replace yours, you may be tempted to rush out and just buy the biggest one that will fit your budget. Well, we don’t recommend this. One of the most important reasons we don’t is because size truly does matter, in this case. If your furnace is too large, or too small, you’ll be unpleasantly surprised by the impact.
What’s Wrong with an Oversized Furnace?
This one can be a headscratcher. Doesn’t a big furnace mean it’s more powerful? Well, yes, but there is such thing as being too powerful. Too large of a furnace generates too much output, resulting in your thermostat shutting down the furnace before it even had the chance to complete a full heating cycle.
Your furnace, no matter what size or type, is designed to operate in cycles, where it generates a set amount of output over a set period of time before resting. So if the furnace is shut down before it could even complete a full heating cycle (called short-cycling), it will begin to suffer.
The various components of your furnace will wear down faster than they would have otherwise. Your furnace won’t be able to actually heat your home as efficiently as it was meant to since the thermostat will keep cutting it off. The overall lifespan of the furnace could even be shortened if it’s allowed to short-cycle for long enough.
What about a Furnace That’s Too Small?
You can probably guess what’s wrong with a furnace that isn’t big enough for the space in which it’s installed. It simply won’t be able to generate enough heat to keep your living space comfortable. Therefore, it will keep operating for much longer than it was supposed to, trying to compensate.
This is the exact opposite problem from if your system was too large, but in the end, it’s just as damaging to the furnace—there’s increased wear and tear on the system culminating in a shorter lifespan.
“How Do I Properly Size a Furnace?”
By calling our team! The thing is, properly sizing a furnace is about more than simply measuring the square footage of the space it’s going to be installed in. Our staff looks at the overall output of the system relative to the size of your home, in addition to other factors such as:
- How many windows and doors you have
- How well insulated your home is
- If you have cathedral ceilings
Hiring a pro for your furnace installation will ensure that you get exactly what you need from your heating system.
