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How Does Central Heating (Furnace) Work?
Facts:
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A furnace works to keep a home warm
in the winter and plays a critical part in the operation of an air conditioning
system.
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Furnaces produce heat through the
combustion of natural gas in the furnace's burner. The heat produced from this process
then passes through a heat exchanger. Air from your home's return air ducts is blown
over the heat exchanger, thus warming the air.
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The furnace's blower then blows
the warmed air into the ductwork, which carries and disperses the warmed air throughout
the home.
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During warmer months, the blower
inside a furnace continues to circulate return air throughout the home--only this
time, the return air has been cooled by being blown over the indoor coil portion
of the home's split-system air conditioning system. The condensing coil is typically
installed on top of the furnace.
Benefits:
-
Indoor warmth any time it
is required.
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Energy efficiency
-The efficiency of a furnace can be determined by its AFUE--or Annual Fuel Utilization
Efficiency. The minimum efficiency level for furnaces currently manufactured in
the U.S. is 80% AFUE. A rating of "80% AFUE" means that for every dollar you spend heating
your home; 80 cents are actually applied to the generation of warmth. Compared to
many of the 60% AFUE furnaces in older homes, 80% AFUE furnaces are a significant
improvement. However, for enhanced energy efficiency, you may wish to consider a
95% AFUE furnace, such as Goodman's line of 95% AFUE Furnaces.
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Cleaner air -As
your HVAC system draws air out of various rooms in the house through return air
ducts, the air is pulled through an air filter, which removes airborne particles
such as dust and lint. Sophisticated filters may remove microscopic pollutants,
as well. The filtered air is then routed to air supply ductwork that carries it
back to rooms. Whenever the HVAC system is running, this cycle repeats continually,
constantly filtering and cleaning the air in your home.
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This cleaning process improves
with the installation of a variable-speed furnace. Variable-speed furnaces
use variable-speed blowers, which shift between several speeds. These furnaces will
run longer at a low speed, which causes them to filter the indoor air more frequently.
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And remember -because
the furnace plays an important role in the operation of the air conditioner, its
variable-speed blower helps maintain both a consistent indoor temperature and improved
air quality year-round.
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