Oil vs. Gas Furnaces

1. Oil furnaces

Pros

• If you live in a very rural area this may be the only type of fuel available in which case it’s your best and only option*. But don’t despair oil furnaces have come a long way in their efficiency and today rival natural gas in this department.

• Oil is less volatile than gas and therefore slightly safer.

Cons

• Oil furnaces are slightly larger and slightly dirtier than their gas counterparts. Although in modern furnaces this disadvantage is extremely slight.

• Oil must be stored in or around your house. Oil is stored in large 500 gallon tanks. These tanks if stored inside your home take up a lot of room. If they are outside there is a slight chance the oil could freeze up and your furnace may go out. Also some localities may still allow you to bury your tank in the ground, and leaky tanks can be very costly to clean up.

• If not monitored your oil tanks could run out of oil.

2.  Gas Furnaces

Pros

•  Gas furnaces have always had an advantage over oil furnaces in fuel efficiency, although today this advantage may be very slight.

• Gas furnaces are smaller than oil furnaces especially if you take fuel storage into account.

• Gas prices have historically been cheaper than oil. Check current prices as this may no longer be the case.

Cons

• Gas may not be available in your area, also don’t assume that since your neighbor has gas service you can get it at your house.

• Natural gas is very volatile and although accidents are rare they are still possible.

Forced Air vs. Boilers

1. Forced Air

Pros

• The biggest advantage forced air systems have over boilers is that the ductwork used to deliver heat, can also be used to add central air conditioning to your home. If you are building a home you should consider this even if you choose not to put central air in at this time.

• Forced air brings the temperature up in a house very quickly.

• Air systems can accommodate humidification units. Making a home more comfortable in the winter.

Cons

• Forced air systems cost more to install. Adding ductwork means higher labor costs.

2. Boilers

Pros

• Construction costs may be slightly lower. Materials may cost about the same but installation should be easier and cost slightly less.

• Radiant heat stays in the plumbing in each room, this helps keep a room warmer longer.

Cons

• Pipes in improperly insulated exterior walls may freeze and burst causing hundreds to thousands of dollars’ worth of water damage.

• Improperly installed radiant flooring may leak or burst causing damage.

• Striking plumbing running inside walls may puncture them again leading to water damage.

* Propane maybe another option but the cost of fuel has always made this a less than desirable option. Propane costs may have changed so check fuel costs if this is a option you are considering.

To describe each part and what it does I’ll start at the beginning. The Oil Supply Line is a pipe that brings the oil from its Storage Tank and delivers it to the furnace. The oil goes through an Oil Filter before entering the Oil Pump; this pump sends the oil into the Blower. The blower is powered by a Motor that mixes the oil with air pressurizes the mixture then sends this mixture to the Burner Assembly. The burner assembly ignites this oil mixture inside the Combustion Chamber. The hot air passes though the Heat Exchanger, before exiting the house though the Flue inside a chimney. The heat exchanger which may be made of cast iron, pressed sheet metal, aluminum or other materials will get very hot.

This is where the second part of this heating system takes over. Cooled air is returned to the furnace inside the Return Air Duct by a large Blower Fan. This fan is responsible for circulating all the air throughout your home. The blower fan pushes the cooled air past the heat exchanger where it becomes heated. Finally this heated air is delivered to your home via a series of metal passages called Ducts. The air enters the room though Registers in the floor, walls or ceiling.

The process used in a gas furnace works in much the same way as an oil furnace but the ignition process/parts differ.

Gas and oil boilers burn their fuel exactly as a forced air furnace would, but the second part of the heating system differs in that it uses heated water or steam instead of air to deliver the heat to the house.

Troubleshooting can often give an idea of what furnace part may need replaced. There are many signs pointing to the failure of a specific furnace part. The problem could be electrical or mechanical in nature. For most cases, a professional repairman will be needed. However, it is always good to know how each furnace part works. An owner’s manual for your brand and model of furnace will prove to be helpful. It may take a service call to let you know what furnace part is recommended to fix the problem.

Each furnace has its own specific parts based on brand. Dealers and Servicemen for Bryant, Carrier, Goodman, Trane and other top manufacturers often carry and sell the specific furnace part you need. Many parts can also be purchased online for a substantial savings. Then a repairman can be paid for his labor only, saving you the cost of an inflated furnace part. Some will require purchase from the manufacturer’s approved Dealers and Service Agents in order to meet warranty requirements. It is not wise to replace a furnace part on your own if your furnace is under warranty.

Be sure to check the warranty for the furnace, because some parts may be covered. Depending on the warranty, the labor to make the repair and replaced the furnace part may be covered as well. Because furnaces are designed to provide years of service, you may go for a long time without having to replace a furnace part. But they will wear eventually and break or stop working. Warranties are a must to keep the cost of replacing a furnace part low.

Furnaces also have a filter to protect the motor and blower from dust and dirt. If the filter gets clogged, it can cause serious damage to your furnace. Most furnaces should have their filters changed monthly, but check the owner’s manual for your model of furnace.

The number one maintenance tip that will help your furnace or air conditioning unit last longer, without problems and also run more efficiently is also the cheapest and easiest to perform.  Change your filter. Dirty filters can ruin a unit’s efficiency making your system run for extended periods of time as it try’s to bring your house to the proper temperature.  This wear and tear shortens the life of your furnace and will send your energy bill through the roof. Always turn off the power to your furnace before changing your filter.

New furnaces can be serviced every few years, but furnaces older than ten years old should be checked over once a year. The blower should be oiled two times a year if it does not have sealed bearings check your owner’s manual for instructions. You should also check the fan belts for any sign of wear and replace as needed.

Aprilaire Furnace Humidifier

With dry air coming naturally with the winter months, it is often difficult to keep your home at a appropriate humidity level. Often people will use a humidifier that is smaller and can be placed separately in individual rooms. These are nice but they only work in the room that they are placed in or maybe, if they are big enough, they will work in a couple rooms. A furnace humidifier however works great as a whole house humidifier. This is because the humidifier is attached to your furnace and runs through the duct system that your house has. So anywhere that heat travels from the furnace, you can be confident that the air will not be dry.

Regular humidifiers run at relatively cheap prices and are cheap and easy to renew. A furnace humidifier is a little bit more expensive, but the money that the owner will save because of it, the humidifier will pay for itself. The humidifier does however need regular maintenance work, but so will any humidifier that you would buy. The maintenance that the owner would have to do is cleaning and disinfecting. These procedures are done at different times per different humidifier. To know how much you have to clean and or disinfect your humidifier, the owner’s manual will tell you.

Furnace-Humidifier-Control

The advantages to owning a humidifier are more greatly seen with your skin. When the air is dry, nosebleeds are very common, along with dry skin in both your mucous membranes and nasal passages as well. If someone too has allergies, dryer air can also increase their reactions to certain pollens. When using a furnace humidifier, air moisture can be circulated through the whole entire house easily. When you circulate the moisture through the whole home, each room of the house has the same level of humidity in it. This will also help lower any spikes someone could have to different allergic reactions while walking from one room to the next.

A nice thing that some humidifiers are starting to have with them are humidistats. What these do is regulate the humidity to a specific level, so once that humidity level is reached, the house will always stay at that point. Another convenience is not having to fill the humidifier with water each day.

The Carrier comfort/performance/infinity furnaces is a very well made furnace that has been around for many years. This type of carrier furnace is one of the top furnace types that the company sells and I can understand why. The furnace had the dependability and quality that is needed on those cold winter days and nights.

A couple of great benefits about the carrier furnace is the company itself. The company is very well known in both the furnace and air conditioning business for sales and service. The salesman are very knowledgeable about the equipment and if you have a question that they are unsure of they will do whatever they can to find the answer for you in a timely manner. The serviceman are the same way and will make every effort to get your equipment up and running again.

Another benefit of the Carrier is the fact of how long they have been in business. Any company that has been in business for over 100 years has to be doing something right.

The last benefit and maybe the most important aspect about the Carrier company is the availability of the company. The company is located internationally so there is no worry about the company not being in your back yard when you need to purchase something from them, need service work done or need to ask them a question about your existing equipment.

Today the Carrier company name is known internationally and continues to grow every year. The company currently ships at least one residential unit to a customer every three seconds and installs a residential unit at least every six seconds, that is amazing. Overall the Carrier company has been around for over 100 years and has every intention to be around for at least another 100 years.

Forced air furnaces are different in that they use a furnace blower to move and circulate the hot air through the house via ducts and registers. The main parts of this type of furnace are the burner, plenum, and the blower. The furnace uses oil, gas, or wood to heat the air. Then the heated air accumulates in the plenum and then is blown to the entire house by the work of the furnace blower.

This system has both Pros and Cons.
Pro Forced air furnaces can heat a room or house very quickly. The blower fills the house with warm air, this warm air in turn warms the occupants. Making everyone happy.
Con A forced air system warms the air while the blower is pushing hot air into the room, once the blower shuts off no further heating takes place. While a hot water system also known as a boiler uses pipes and radiators filled with hot water to heat a home. These pipes and radiators remain filled with hot water even after the furnace has shut off, keeping the house warm.

Due to the furnace blower, forced hot air is the fastest way to heat a home. It is somewhat more dangerous due to the possibility of carbon monoxide buildup so it’s important to have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. It is one of the most common furnaces found in homes today.

Most all furnaces work in the same manner. There is a thermostat in the main living area of the home that controls the furnace. When the temperature drops below a preset level, it sends a signal to the burner to begin heating the air. This hot air is then delivered through the house. Once the home has been heated to the preset temperature, the thermostat shuts the burner off. In a furnace with a blower, the blower will continue to work for a few extra minutes after the thermostat tells it to shut off. This is for efficiency using all the heat that was just produced by the furnace.

As you might imagine, the blower is the hardest working part of the furnace. If a furnace stops working, it is frequently the blower that has broken. The furnace blower can be fixed or replaced without having to replace the entire furnace. Older furnaces use a blower with a belt drive which means it is more likely to break. Newer furnaces use a blower that does not use a belt and less likely to break.

Forced Air Furnace with Humidifier

Furnaces heat air by burning a fuel such as oil, propane, or natural gas. Electric only systems are not actually considered furnaces, even though everyone calls them this. Most furnaces are also what are known as an air furnace because they use blowers to force the heated air into the home. These are the most common heating systems in the country.

Air is forced by the pressure caused by an air handler fan. The fan blower forces air past the heat exchanger and then pushes the heated air into the attached ducts. Ducts can be made of metal of flexible duct depending on their purpose and type of home, plus the location of the furnace. The heated air comes out of registers in the home. Registers can be in the floor, on the ceiling or on walls. All of these are dependent on each other. As such, it is important to make sure that the air furnace is regularly serviced.

Air flow regulation is normally checked and any leaky ducts are sealed or replaced as needed. Fan blades are cleaned and motors are lubricated. Air that leaks from the ducts of an air furnace equals dollars wasted. This is because of several reasons. For one thing, air never gets to where it is supposed to go. Return air ducts are just as important to seal. Improperly sealed return air ducts suck in cold air which reduces the efficiency of an air furnace. Leaks allow cold air in the home and warm air to escape from it. Once all leaks are sealed, air flow must be checked and regulated.

It may be a concern if the duct-work is too small for the home and its air furnace. Replacement of inadequate duct-work saves money in the long run.An air furnace must have regular air filter replacements. A clogged and dirty filter will restrict airflow and consequentially reduce efficiency. Filters can be removed and cleaned or replaced with disposables. It only takes a few minutes to complete this task, but it means a lot for the life of the system and comfort of the building’s occupants.

Bryant makes both gas and oil powered furnaces. A gas powered Bryant furnace is very clean and energy efficient, which will save money over the life of the Evolution System models consisting of Plus 98v, the Plus 96i and the Plus 95s Bryant furnace. The Preferred Series consists of Plus 95i, Plus 95t, Plus 90x, Plus 80x and the Plus 80t. The Legacy Line offers the 95, Plus 90 and Plus 80.

Bryant furnaces offer two-stage burning via a process the company calls “Perfect Heat.” This is an important feature and should be considered when comparing another brand with a Bryant furnace. Another good indication of the value is the high AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating that each Bryant furnace model receives. This is a percentage comparison of how much heat is produced per fuel amount and how much is considered waste. The industry standard for AFUE efficiency is 78%. Bryant furnaces meet this number and often range up to 96%. Such savings on energy costs more than justify the furnace replacement of an old inefficient system with a Bryant furnace. It will pay for the furnace in no time. Bryant furnaces are so energy efficient, that they qualify for government green appliance rebate incentives.

Bryant furnaces have standard factory warranties and some models offer either limited or lifetime warranty coverage on certain furnace parts. Warranties are model specific, so it is important to keep this in mind when choosing a Bryant furnace. The general warranty is 10 years for parts. There are also extended warranties that can be purchased to cover labor. Bryant takes customer service very seriously and offers help long after the purchase of a furnace.

Some of Bryant’s high efficiency furnaces may qualify for a government tax credit. These credits are offered from time to time and may save you anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars off the cost of furnace replacement. Check with your nearest Bryant dealer to see if these credits are currently being offered.

Goodman furnaces are offered in standard-efficiency gas models and high-efficiency gas models. These can come in variable speed or multi-speed. The high-efficiency models have two-stage burners. This is an important feature and should be considered when comparing another brand with a Goodman furnace. Another good indication of the value is the high AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating that each Goodman furnace model receives. This is a percentage comparison of how much heat is produced per fuel amount and how much is considered waste. The industry standard for AFUE efficiency is 78%. Goodman furnaces meet this number and often range up to 95%.

For each dollar spent for home heating, 95 cents is used while 5 cents is wasted. Such savings on energy costs more than justify the replacement of an old inefficient furnace system with a Goodman furnace. It will pay for the furnace in no time. Goodman furnaces are so energy efficient, that they qualify for government green appliance rebate incentives.

Goodman furnaces each have standard factory warranties and some models offer either limited or lifetime warranty coverage on certain furnace parts. Warranties are model specific, so it is important to keep this in mind when choosing a Goodman furnace. The general warranty is 10 years for parts. There are also extended warranties that can be purchased to cover labor. Goodman takes customer service very seriously and offers help long after the purchase of a Goodman furnace. Unlike other companies, Goodman will be there for customers.

Since a furnace uses gas or oil, and a lot of it, pay careful attention to the energy efficiency of the unit. Generally a lower priced furnace will not be as energy efficient as a more expensive model. This will mean high gas bills each winter for the life of the unit. Sometimes spending just a few hundred dollars more now can save you that much each year on your gas bill for the life of the furnace.

Another thing you will want to consider for your home furnace is how well it is made. Buying from a reputable manufacture with a longer warranty can also help save you money in the coming years. Some furnace manufactures are known for their products lasting twenty or more years. You will most likely pay more now, but that savings will be realized in the future.

You will also want to consider maintenance and repair costs when selecting a home furnace. Yearly maintenance will extend the life of your furnace which can save you a lot of money in the years to come. It’s recommended that you have the mechanical heating element inspected and repaired, if needed, yearly. A little money spent on furnace maintenance each year could save you thousands in furnace replacement.