Types of Residential Furnaces

When it comes to homeowners and their houses, most people don't even think about their heaters or air conditioners until it’s time to actually turn them on or when something needs to be fixed!  Most people also don't know what questions to ask when it comes to buying a house or what questions to ask when it comes to the furnace.  More people should become familiar with a furnace, how it works, and the types of furnaces and more because the more you are educated, the better decisions you can make.  If you've ever wondered about the different types of furnaces, here are a few of the most common types as well as a little bit about how they work. If you are looking to replace your furnace and would like to discuss the pros/cons of each option contact a company that offers furnace repair and installation in Summit. A skilled HVAC expert in Summit will be able to walk through all of your choices and suggest the best furnace for your needs.

Single Stage Furnaces

These are one of the least efficient options.  But, they are still popularly, mainly in smaller or older homes.  This has a single gas flame and it has the on and off option, but that's about it.  The equipment is by far and wide the most wasteful of any furnace; however, it’s also the cheapest.  This type of furnace warms the air and then blows it out into the ductwork of the house and into the various rooms of the home, which then warms those rooms.  The furnace will keep blowing out that warm air until your house reaches the overall temperature at which you set the thermostat.  Once it reaches that particular temperature, the furnace turns off, and stops blowing warm air into that room.  The furnace cools, usually to a temperature that is pre-determined and which time it fires on again and the process starts all over again.  

Consequently, that low temperature it takes for it to turn back on is cold, usually colder than you would like - freezing in fact.  Sometimes a single stage furnace will blow too much warm air into a room.  For example, if you have the temperature set at 75 degrees

on a blistering cold day, you could reach upwards to 80 in the room or worse, down to 65 degrees before it decides to turn on again.  These are the poorest performers, but as mentioned, they are cheap, so that's why a lot of people choose to have them in their homes.

Two Stage Furnaces

These are much more technological and efficient than the single stage furnace.  Instead of just on and off options, they have three different options; high, medium, low and, of course, off.  Two stage furnaces also, as you would expect by the name, have two flames.  The whole point to that second flame in this instance offsets the cost because it makes it much more efficient when it comes to energy costs.  It’s also much quieter than a single stage furnace.  But, on the downside, they also cost more.  Hey, there are always going to be pros and cons in every versus, and this is no different.  It depends on you and if you are willing to invest a little more for a system that performs better, is more energy efficient and quieter!  

These furnaces stay lit at all times, but what they also do is they switch from high to low depending on how much warmth needs to be sent to those spaces you need to be heated.  However, this gauge on this furnace also is not perfect.  But, it’s much lower than the single furnace above.  In this instance, if you have the temperature set at 75 it might end up being 78 in the room at the highest and 71 at the lowest.  Again, much more efficient than the option above (75 degrees on a blistering cold day, you could reach upwards to 80 in the room or worse, down to 65 degrees), but still it can be off its game sometimes.

Modulating Furnaces

This is by far and wide the most efficient furnace, but obviously it’s also going to cost a little more.  This one is more exact when it comes to the thermostat you have set.  Instead of being 5-10 degrees off - too low or too high, it’s usually 1-2 degrees off and that's about it.  So if you have it set at 75 degrees it will either be 75, 76 or 77 degrees as a high or if you have the air conditioner on 75, 74, 73 degrees on a low.  For the most part, this furnace will keep all of your rooms an even temperature and unlike the other two above, you won't have a lot (too much) of a buildup in the space to the point where its stifling, but the rooms will also stay a steady temperature once the heat turns off. 

Unlike the other two where you have to have it on in order to have it be warm, this one tends to warm a room and keep it warm for a period of time until it needs to be turned on again because its temperatures have plummeted.  These are rated as being the most efficient because they offer 98% efficiency, but again, they cost the most out of the ones above, but it might be worth the investment.