Absolute Mechanical installs and services
Rheem® furnaces please click on the
link below to find out more information
about the Rheem® Criterion® II 80% Gas
Furnace.
Some information you may
want to know about gas furnaces
If you're in the market for a new gas furnace, do you know the
differences between a conventional, induced draft, and condensing
furnace? If you don't, you should because your choice of furnace
design will have an effect on its efficiency, and that, in turn,
will have an effect on your annual heating costs.
All gas furnaces consist of four main components: burners where
the gas is delivered and burned; heat exchangers that transfer
the heat from the burners to the home's air distribution system;
a blower that moves the heated air through the ducts and into
the home; and a flue that exhausts the gaseous byproducts of combustion
to the outdoors. The four components form the basis of the three
most common types of gas furnaces: conventional, induced draft,
and condensing.
Conventional furnaces burn natural or propane gas to provide
heat to the heat exchanger. Indoor air flows around the heat exchanger
to be heated and then circulated throughout the house through
the ducts. Additional air is drawn into the flue for venting purposes.
This air mixes with the hot exhaust gases and exits through the
chimney. Induced draft furnaces are similar to conventional furnaces
except for their venting method.
Conventional furnaces draw air through an opening in the front
of the furnace and at the flue to create a natural draft. Induced
draft furnaces use a fan to draw the combustion products through
the heat exchangers and then into the flue.
This artificially created draft increases the efficiency of the
furnace. Condensing furnaces contain a second heat exchanger that
collects heat from the hot flue gases, yielding additional heat
for the home. Because the resulting flue gases are at a very low
temperature, they can be vented directly outdoors through a plastic
pipe that can run through a side wall. Condensing furnaces are
the most efficient on the market.
