Decades ago, a home’s furnace was fueled by wood and coal. Nowadays, they are mainly fueled by electricity or natural gas. Here are a few things to know about how your furnace heats your home to your desired temperature.
Thermostat
Whether you have an electric or gas furnace, it is controlled by a thermostat in your home. When your home’s heat drops below your set temperature, the thermostat sends a signal to your heating system to turn on. Once the desired temperature is reached, the thermostat tells your furnace to turn off.
Electric Furnaces
When your electric furnace is operating, it heats conductive coils. The coils heat the air around them. A blower sends the heated air through your ductwork and into your home. Things are less likely to go wrong with an electric system than a gas furnace. If something does go wrong, a company like Daniel's Heating & Refrigeration Corp. in Goochland County, can inspect it and pinpoint what the issue is.
Gas Furnaces
When your gas furnace is told to turn on by the thermostat, a gas valve opens, igniting the burner. There is a safety device called a thermocouple that makes sure the gas valve doesn’t open if the pilot light is out. This way, the gas can’t burn.
The gas burns and heats a metal heat exchanger. This heat exchanger has looped tubes in it from which the heat is transferred to the air. There are a blower motor and fan in your furnace that moves the heated air into your ductwork. It then flows out of the various vents in your home, heating the rooms.
Another major part of your gas furnace is the flue. The flue collects the combustion gases created by the burning process and sends them outside your home. This prevents deadly carbon monoxide from entering your home.
Your Local Heating and Cooling Specialists
Daniel's Heating & Refrigeration Corp. helps customers throughout Goochland County and nearby areas. A Lennox Premier Dealer, we install and service gas and electric furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, hot water heaters and humidifiers. Contact us today.
