What's to Know about Furnaces
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Article by: Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home , Garden Groundcovers Inspector What\'s to Know about Furnaces Submitted by: Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home , A to Z guide in buying Dish Network online Inspector Lic GI 0121, President of Accurate Inspections, Inc, a New Jersey home , A Foolproof and Painless Way to Get Yourself Out of Bed the inspection company Many homes , More About Butterly Gardening are heated with a furnace. This energy , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom system transfers heat , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail created by burning gas, , Birch Trees Can That Tolerate Wet Soils near Doylestown oil, coal, o r by heating a resistance element with electricity , All About Miniature Roses to air , Replace the White Birch With River Birches In The Furlong Pa. Area that is circulated thought out the house. , Healthy hands are the Gardener's Best Tools The furnace itself is designed to be trouble free and requires very little care but the gas , Acid Loving Plants or oil burner that creates the heat , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail does require maintenance to run safely and efficiently. Here are some maintenance tips , NURSERY ROOM DECOR to keep a furnace operating efficiently: Annual Inspection. Service a furnace in the fall , Landscaping Ideas: Using Landscaping Rock for Maximum Effect before the heating season , Replace the White Birch With River Birches In The Furlong Pa. Area begins. It is best to use a heating professional to perform this annual , Trees in the Home Landscape maintenance. This professional will probably follow these following inspection and maintenance steps: The outside , Urban Farming, Even In Solebury, PA of the furnace will be inspected with careful attention given to the flue pipe leading from the furnace to the chimney. , Four Ways to Make a Beautiful Bunch of Dry Flowers He will check for loose connections wherever two pipes join, at all elbows, and where the pipe joins the chimney. , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom If there are loose sections, they may be reattached. Also, the furnace will be checked for large rust spots especially on the bottom of the pipes. Condensation may cause rusting and this is a sure sign of a maladjusted burner. If there is loose or missing , Urban Farming, Even In Solebury, PA cement surrounding the pipe, it will be replaced or repaired. Air Filter. Most furnaces have an air , After the most up-to-date help relating to custom paint. filter located in the return air , Garden Groundcovers duct system, usually at the bottom of the furnace where the large duct enters the furnace. This filter requires regular replacement if it is not a permanent foam type filter. Blowers. A furnace\'s blower that forces the air , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating... through the heating system. Some blowers have a V belt drive that should be serviced every year. Some newer furnaces have direct drive blowers and are not belt driven. Both systems require cleaning and lubrication Humidifier. If the furnace is equipped with a humidifier, it will require at least yearly maintenance. Safety Concerns with Heat , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail Exchangers How unsafe is a failed heat , A Foolproof and Painless Way to Get Yourself Out of Bed the exchanger in your forced-air system? The main safety , Birch Trees Can That Tolerate Wet Soils near Doylestown concern with warm air , Ladder Décor – the Possibilities are Endless furnaces, sometimes called \"hot air , Plants and Trees Native To Durham Township, PA heat,\" is keeping the products , NURSERY ROOM DECOR of combustion from mixing with the air , Ladder Décor – the Possibilities are Endless in the home , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom and negatively affecting the health of the occupants. When fuel is burned, three products , A to Z guide in buying Dish Network online are produced: (1) heat, , Acid Loving Plants (2) carbon , All About Miniature Roses dioxide (C02), and water , Trees in the Home Landscape (H20). This example assumes complete combustion. If there is incomplete combustion, other products , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now will also be present. These may include the compounds such as carbon , All About Miniature Roses monoxide (C0), formaldehyde (HCH0)and numerous other aldahydes, nitrogen dioxide (N02), and sulfur dioxide (S02). The technicians who set up furnaces try to keep the C0 to less than 100 parts per million (ppm) in the exhaust. Problems develop when there is a blocked or partially blocked chimney , More About Butterly Gardening and/or a failed heat , Choosing The Perfect Flowers For Summer exchanger. A blocked chimney , Decorative Know How - Faux Marble In Six Easy Steps can fill the area where the heater is located and the first floor , Four Ways to Make a Beautiful Bunch of Dry Flowers with toxic C0 gases in a few hours, depending on how much air , Laying Out Your New Landscape flow there is in the house. , Landscaping Ideas: Using Landscaping Rock for Maximum Effect In most situations, a blocked chimney , Feng Shui Decorating Guidelines is relatively easy to clear. A failed heat , All About Miniature Roses exchanger is much more difficult to determine, but, in almost all cases, is much less dangerous than a blocked chimney. , Searching for the most informative advice pertaining to spri In fact, when the furnace\'s fan is running, the heat , SLIDING GLASS DOOR REPLACEMENT exchanger is pressurized from the house air , Choosing The Perfect Flowers For Summer side. In almost all cases, this pressure will not allow dangerous gases to accumulate in the house air. , Urban Farming, Even In Solebury, PA The path , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom of least resistance for these exhaust gases is up the chimney. , Decorative Know How - Faux Marble In Six Easy Steps This may not be the opinion of most gas , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now utilities in the country, which is somewhat understandable based on the liability exposure. The pressure on the heat , Advice about the best opinion witrel="nofollow" h reference to posts and be exchanger has a significant effect on the tendency of flue gases to pass from one side of the heat , In Search of the Best Gardening Tools exchanger to the other. If the fan is off, the pressure from the burner will cause the burner side to be positive and the C0 or C02 gas , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail can pass to the house , A Foolproof and Painless Way to Get Yourself Out of Bed the side. The amount of gas , Everything...Plus The Kitchen Sink passing from one side to the other is based on the size and location , All About Miniature Roses of the failure in the heat , Searching for the most informative advice pertaining to spri exchanger. However, it is rare this amount would exceed the amount of C0 or C02 gases emitted from a kitchen , Decorating using drink coasters as range flame. When the fan comes on, the house air , Choosing The Perfect Flowers For Summer side of the heat , Plants and Trees Native To Durham Township, PA exchanger, in almost every case, is positive. The positive pressure from the house air , Decorative Know How - Faux Marble In Six Easy Steps or fan side would cause the house air , Urban Farming, Even In Solebury, PA to be pushed into the exhaust side, not vice versa. The only exception may be some power , Searching for the most informative advice pertaining to spri burners which would maintain positive pressure on the burner side while the fan was on or a heat , Prepare your home for inspection exchanger failure which was large enough to get your fist into. The main thing to remember is that high pressure will always move to a low pressure. There are a few other factors which must be added to be totally accurate. These would include the location , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating... of the failure and the design , Violet Pots of the heat , Mole Traps: Can you use them? exchanger. This is not to say that failed heat , The Beautiful Garden exchangers are safe, , Are Your Clients Buying What You're Selling but you should know they are rarely as much of a concern as we hear from most information , Choosing The Perfect Flowers For Summer sources. One last item: According to the American National Standards, it is almost impossible to construct a heat , Advice about the best opinion witrel="nofollow" h reference to posts and be exchanger that is entirely air , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating... tight. Therefore, any test method developed to detect flue gas , Plants and Trees Native To Durham Township, PA leakage needs to have quantitative aspects. It would not be desirable to identify as unacceptable any heat , Landscaping Ideas: Using Landscaping Rock for Maximum Effect exchanger leakage that meets the requirements/standards for heat , Healthy hands are the Gardener's Best Tools exchanger joints. This standard says the leak should not be more than 2% of the flue gases with the internal pressure raised to .1 water , Feng Shui Decorating Guidelines column (WC) static pressure. Carbon Monoxide in the Home This silent killer claims about 1,500 lives each year in the U.S. Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the toxins that remains from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include oil, gas, , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail and coal. Small amounts of CO, such as those emitted from the kitchen , Ladder Décor – the Possibilities are Endless range, will usually be found in the air , Gardening for Kids in the home. , Plants and Trees Native To Durham Township, PA These amounts pose no health concerns for the occupants. However, health problems can develop if one is exposed to CO in large amounts, such as those emitted for many hours from a blocked chimney. , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail In extreme cases, the presence of CO can be lethal. BLOCKED CHIMNEYS, NOT HEAT EXCHANGERS, ARE THE REAL CULPRIT Much has been written about heating systems causing dangerous levels of CO gas , Preserving Flowers From A Potpourri Garden in homes. , A to Z guide in buying Dish Network online The heating furnace itself will not cause CO amounts of any concern to be emitted into the home. , Prepare your for inspection If the heat , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water ing... exchanger fails (the heat , Healthy hands are the Gardener's Best Tools exchanger is the part of the furnace that keeps burned fuels separate from the air , Get Off The Grass - Groundcovers For Problem Places in the living space) CO is rarely emitted in the air. , Trees in the Home Landscape If CO is emitted, the amount released is not significant. Here\'s why: The typical furnace has a fan that circulates the indoor , Organic Gardening In The Backyard - Fun, Healthy, and Easier Than You May Think house air , More About Butterly Gardening to and from the heating system and living space. This fan creates approximately 18 times more pressure on the house , Gardening for Kids side air , Advice about the best opinion witrel="nofollow" h reference to posts and be than the typical pressure created by atmospheric burners. In the event of a failure, this pressure causes the air , Get Off The Grass - Groundcovers For Problem Places from the living space to pass to the exhaust side of the unit and up the chimney. , Home Equity – Foreclosure Often Not Necessary In Current Mar This is not to say that a failed heat , Four Ways to Make a Beautiful Bunch of Dry Flowers exchanger is acceptable. It is not. However, the likelihood of significant CO gas , Violet Pots being delivered to the living space has been grossly overstated. A chimney , Gardening for Kids that is blocked for many hours or days is the only item that would deliver dangerous amounts of CO gas , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now to a dwelling. THE REASONS WHY CO LEVELS VARY IN DIFFERENT HOMES Carbon monoxide in homes , A to Z guide in buying Dish Network online is difficult to research due to numerous variables, including: The size and air , Watching Your Children's Garden Grow volume of a home. , Get Off The Grass - Groundcovers For Problem Places The more air , In Search of the Best Gardening Tools in the home, , Mole Traps: Can you use them? the easier gases will dissipate. The number of air , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now changes per hour in modern homes , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom that have thick insulation, etc. The type of construction. Various types of frame and masonry construction will have an effect on the air , Watching Your Children's Garden Grow changes and air , Protection Against People With Evil Intentions Towards You infiltration. The type of heating system. Combustion air , Selecting Replacement Windows requirements and efficiencies have some effect on air , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now movement and changes. , Trees in the Home Landscape Operating fans and exhaust systems. When on, these systems dissipate all the air , Trees in the Home Landscape in the house , Home Equity – Foreclosure Often Not Necessary In Current Mar in minutes. The size of the systems and of the house , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom will determine how effectively this is done. According to an American National Standard\'s study on heat , Organic Gardening In The Backyard - Fun, Healthy, and Easier Than You May Think exchangers, leakage of waste gases is acceptable as long as the combustion chamber and vent do not leak more than 2% of flue gases. (Testing parameters are .1\" water , The Beautiful Garden column static pressure on the interior , Get Off The Grass - Groundcovers For Problem Places of the heat , Laying Out Your New Landscape exchanger.) HOW CO KILLS CO poisoning kills about 1,500 people a year. CO reduces the ability of the hemoglobin in the blood to carry oxygen to the brain and body. This is akin to not breathing. The blood recovers quickly if the exposure is not continuous. Typical symptoms include headaches, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, and heart palpitations. The presence of CO in a home , Feng Shui Decorating Guidelines can cause physiological effects at any level. However, the following parts per million (ppm) indicate when it is a serious concern: 50 ppm Allowable for up to 8 hours of exposure. 500 ppm Can be inhaled for one hour without appreciable effect. 700 ppm Unpleasant, but not dangerous, effects after one hour of exposure. 2,000 ppm Dangerous effects after one hour of exposure. 4,000 ppm Fatal in less than one hour The most desirable condition would be a zero level of CO. To achieve low and safe , Acid Loving Plants levels, use a CO monitor. It will detect when levels surpass 10 ppm. Heating a New Addition Putting an addition on your home, , The Best Flowers For Spring such as a bedroom or kitchen, , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating... is very exciting. It often affects your attitude and comfort level and can truly renew your spirit. One consideration when adding to your home , Plants and Trees Native To Durham Township, PA or when creating a new living space from a previously unused area, such as a porch, , Everything...Plus The Kitchen Sink basement , A Foolproof and Painless Way to Get Yourself Out of Bed the or garage, , Preserving Flowers From A Potpourri Garden is the extra heating that will be required. Your current heating system is probably sized for your current living situation, whether the unit is original or a replacement. There has probably not been any consideration of a future addition. The first thing you need to do is assess your current heating situation. A general rule of thumb for heating requirements is that 40 to 50 BTU’s (British Thermal Units) are required for every square foot of living space. So, determine the square footage of your current living space (before the addition) and divide it by the 40 to 50 BTUs. This, of course, will depend on the type of construction and geographical location. , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now To figure out how much more you would need (assuming what you have is enough) simply add the square footage of the new living space to your current number. When you have this total, you can figure out the amount of BTU’s you’ll need for the addition. You may be able to use the same input size heater if you buy a more efficient one. If you replace a typical heater that is 60 percent to 70 percent efficient with a heater that wastes just 5 percent to 10 percent of its heat/fuel, and if it includes an outside air , Choosing The Perfect Flowers For Summer supply for combustion, you could buy a heater sized at approximately 25 percent to 35 percent fewer BTUs for every square foot of living space. More effective energy improvements , Get Off The Grass - Groundcovers For Problem Places may allow you to reduce the size even more. Heater efficiency is based on burner efficiency, transmission of losses to the heater exchanger or boiler and flue or chimney , Searching for the most informative advice pertaining to spri losses. The quantity of heat , Healthy hands are the Gardener's Best Tools lost up the chimney , Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now is rarely discussed by utility companies or fuel suppliers. However, it is significant. Approximately one-third of all heat , Preserving Flowers From A Potpourri Garden generated by a gas-fired unit goes up the chimney. , Heating an old House! Oil-fired appliances have 5 to 15 percent more waste. However, oil costs less than gas , Everything...Plus The Kitchen Sink to purchase. When the distribution of air , Prepare your home for inspection is from an existing situation, additional ductwork may be needed. The farther you travel from the source, the smaller the ductwork should be to increase/maintain adequate air , Violet Pots velocity. Additional fuel and ductwork for equitable distribution. Before you begin a new addition, consider the changes , Garden Groundcovers that will take place. , Selecting Rement Windows Don’t get discouraged these calculations are not difficult. The half-hour you may put in will be well worth the years of enjoyment you will get from the new living space. How Your Heat , A to Z guide in buying Dish Network online Pump Functions HEATING & COOLING SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE Have heating and cooling systems checked by a qualified serviceperson once a year or according to the manufacturer\'s warranty and service recommendations. Failure to do manufacturer-recommended servicing may void warranties. Clean or replace filters. Check your owner\'s manual for recommended procedures. Some filters should be replaced as often as once a month. Clean dirt and dust from around furnaces, air , Advice about the best opinion witrel="nofollow" h reference to posts and be grills, and ducts. Regularly clean out fireplace ash pit. Have the chimney , Feng Shui Decorating Guidelines checked each fall , More About Butterly Gardening before you use it. A build up of creosote and soot can be very dangerous. If you use your fireplace or woodstove regularly, a yearly cleaning is recommended. Seek help from professional fire , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating... fighters or chimney , More About Butterly Gardening inspectors if you have any doubt about the chimney safety. , Feng Shui Decorating Guidelines Check the attic to be sure that insulation or other material is not blocking free air , Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating... flow through soffit vents, gable vents, or other attic vents. If light , SLIDING GLASS DOOR REPLACEMENT from the outside , Healthy hands are the Gardener's Best Tools shines through each vent into a darkened attic, then the vents are clear. Buying a home , Advice about the best opinion witrel="nofollow" h reference to posts and be in New Jersey? www.NewJerseyHomeInspection.com has a listing of home , After the most up-to-date help relating to custom paint. inspectors in all counties of new Jersey. New Jersey Home , Fall Garden Planning - Garden plans for next spring and ordering by mail Inspections are performed by the author of this artical Michael Del Greco in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic Counties. |
  
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