During the cold season in Nanaimo, a home furnace provides much-needed warmth. You probably don’t regularly give your furnace a second thought until one day (probably during our annual snow fall) you come home to a cold house.
Understanding how your furnace works will help you be conscious of why and how to maintain it. This may also help to decode some of the industry lingo you have heard. There are different types of furnaces, but they all operate in essentially the same way. In the guide below you will discover the various components in the furnace; how they work together; and useful tips for maintaining your home furnace.
Components That Make Up A Home Furnace
Burners: Furnace burners are tubes where gas is burned. The burners are fitted with a flame sensor and a gas valve. These help control flames and turn off the gas when a flame is not detected.
Heat Exchanger: This component is one of the most vital parts of a home furnace. It is made up of coils where heat is added to the air. The heated air is blown into the ductwork by a blower motor.
Ductwork: This system helps in distributing the heated air throughout your home.
Blower Motor: The Blower motor directs air from the return ducts into the heat exchanger. It then sends the heated air into the ductwork.
Flue: A combustion flue gets rid of the toxic remnants of the combustion process. The flue is also referred to as an exhaust.
Thermostat: This helps you control the temperature of your living space. When it’s turned up, the flames become larger, increasing the temperature. When turned down, the flames grow smaller, lowering the heat. You may want to consider a programable thermostat. They will help you save money on your heating bill by calling for heat only in the hours when your are home but allowing the house to stay cooler when everyone is away at work or school.
Air Filter: Located near the blower motor, this component removes allergens and pollutants which improves the air quality. It also protects the motor from dust and debris. Changing the filter regularly every 3-4 months will guarantee consistent good quality air.
How The Furnace Warms Your Home
Outside air enters the cold air return through a fresh air intake pipe. This air is filtered to remove dust and debris. It is then pulled through the cold air return into the furnace where the air is heated. The blower then forces the heated air into the supply air ductwork.
The ductwork distributes the hot air into your home. This process repeats until the thermostat has detected that the air in the house has reached the requested temperature. The process then stops until the air temperature has dropped to a level when the thermostat asks the furnace to turn on and start heating the air again. The condensing flue vent disposes of noxious combustion gases and carbon monoxide that are remnants of the combustion process.
How To Maintain A Home Furnace
If maintained properly, your furnace should be able to heat your home for approximately 20-25 years.
Here are a few things that you can do to make sure it keeps running efficiently and effectively:
- Have an annual service, cleaning, and inspection done. Many of the above furnace components can be replaced to keep your furnace running as long as possible, but it is important to have this done by a ticketed Nanaimo gasfitter.
- Change the filter regularly (about every 3-4 months – or 1-2 if you have furry friends)
- Keep the area around your furnace clear of debris, this includes dust and dirt but also items you might be storing in the same room. This will also be helpful when you need to have your furnace serviced, we will need to easily access the area around the furnace as well as have space to work.
- Check the operation of your carbon monoxide detector
- Make sure return air and supply air ducting is free of debris and blockage as this will interrupt proper air flow throughout your home.
November 10th, 2023