Gas Furnaces
What to Look for When Buying Gas Furnaces
When you are looking at the different gas furnaces available on the market with the thought of replacing your old unit with a newer more efficient model there are some things you need to understand before you spend your money. You need to be able to answer questions like what level of efficiency do you need, they come in 80, 93 and 95% efficiency models, what type of venting will you be using (either a vent pipe or PVC pipe) and is your direction of air flow horizontal, up or down . Each of these factors is vital to your purchasing the right furnace for your home.
Of course the efficiency of the gas furnaces your are looking at is very important and with three different levels of efficiency rating you would automatically assume that the one with the highest efficiency would be the best choice, but this may not be the case depending on your budget. The 80% model is the least expensive and is vented through your roof via a metal flue. These models are exactly what their rating implies 80% efficient, this means that they waste 20% of the fuel that you are paying dearly for.
93% efficient gas furnaces use approximately 14% less fuel than the 80% furnace and because they use both primary and secondary heat exchangers vent very little in the way of heat through the flue. This means you can use PVC piping for your flue and can vent it in a variety of different ways including horizontally through a side wall. This adds to the overall efficiency by not requiring a hole in the roof, making these middle of the range furnaces the most popular in new furnaces being installed today.
At the top of the range are the gas furnaces rated at 95% efficiency, this is as good as it gets when it comes to gas furnaces and while the difference of only 2% over the next model down may not seem like much it can make a significant difference over the winter months. These furnaces usually come with variable speed blower motors, two stage gas valves and many other features that help to improve their overall efficiency. The variable speed blowers make these furnaces so quiet you may never even hear it running and the higher cost is easily offset by their superior overall energy efficiency.
As we have mentioned above how you plan to vent your furnace has a direct effect on the type of gas furnaces you should be looking at. If you are trying to stay lower budget then you are going to need a vertical metal flue, if you go with either of the other models you can use PVC pipe and route the vent anywhere you want to, including horizontally.
If you would like professional help both choosing and installing your furnace you need to talk to the professionals at Go Service All. They carry several major brands of gas furnaces and will have exactly what you need to keep your house warm at night.
Our Location:
Service All Heating & Air Conditioning
20200 State Road | Cerritos, CA 90703
Contact Information:
Phone: (310) 782-2270
Fax: (562) 865-6861
Email: kenduck@service-air.com
Office Hours:
8:00am - 6:00pm Monday thru Friday Weekend & Evenings by Appointment
