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The
Fundamentals of a Gas Furnace: How it Works ..
All
gas furnaces consist of four main components: a burner, a heat
exchanger, a blower and a vent pipe or flue.
Burner:
where the gas is delivered and
burned.
Almost
all gas furnaces today use an electronic ignition device
instead of a constantly burning pilot light to ignite the gas.
The
device works like an automobile spark plug. Whenever the
thermostat calls for heat, the ignition device instantly
lights the burners. By not using any gas between ignition
cycles, this component conserves the fuel previously used by a
pilot light.
Heat
Exchanger: transfers the heat produced from the
burning gas to the home's distribution system. They come in a
variety of shapes, with a serpentine configuration being one
of the most efficient and popular.
When
looking at gas furnaces, it is recommends that the heat
exchanger be crimped instead of welded together. The new
crimped method of manufacturing helps eliminate heat stress
cracks that might occur.
Blower:
is a large fan that moves the heated air through ducts to the
location in the home where it is needed.
Vent
Pipe or Flue: exhausts the gaseous byproducts of
combustion to the outdoors. Depending on the type of furnace,
venting can take place through the chimney or through a
plastic pipe out the side of the house.
These
four components form the basis of three types of gas furnaces:
a conventional warm-air furnace, an induced draft furnace, and
a condensing furnace.
Conventional
warm air furnaces burn natural or propane gas to
provide heat to the heat exchanger. Indoor air flows around
the heat exchanger to be heated and then circulated throughout
the house through ducts. Other ducts return air that has
cooled to the furnace to be reheated and recirculated.
Additional air is drawn into the flue for venting purposes.
This air mixes with the hot exhaust gases and exits through
the chimney.
Induced
draft furnaces are similar to conventional furnaces
except for their venting method. Conventional furnaces draw
air through an opening in the front of the furnace and at the
flue to create a natural draft. Induced draft furnaces use a
fan to draw the combustion products into the flue. This
artificially created draft increases the efficiency of the
furnace.
A
condensing furnace is so named because it contains
a second heat exchanger that condenses water vapor in the hot
flue gases, thereby extracting additional heat for the home.
Because the resulting flue gases are at a very low
temperature, they can be vented directly outdoors through a
plastic pipe that can run through a side wall. A drain
disposes of the condensed water. Condensing furnaces are among
the most efficient on the market.
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Call
(704) 598-2677 today ...
to
have one of our professional technicians show you how we can
improve the comfort of your home!
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