Central forced-air heating provided by a furnace is the most popular form of home heating in Ohio, but do you know how your furnace works? Here’s a look at the basic components of a furnace and how these components work together to heat your Northeast Ohio home.
Primary furnace components
- Thermostat: This controls the furnace by sensing air temperature and calling for heat when needed. You might have multiple thermostats in your home if you have a zoning system.
- Air handler: This component may be a stand-alone blower that can also work with an air conditioner. If you don’t have air conditioning, the air handler likely is included within the furnace. (Some A/C systems just use the built-in furnace blower.)
- Electronic ignition: While older models used a pilot light to ignite the fuel, new furnaces use a more efficient electronic ignition.
- Heat exchanger: This is a metal chamber that holds heated combustion fumes. It must remain free of cracks to provide safe, efficient operation.
- Ductwork: These metal passageways deliver air to and from the furnace and your home’s interior. Seal and insulate ducts for the best comfort and performance possible.
How your furnace works
The furnace fires when the thermostat sends an electric signal to it, indicating that the indoor temperature has dropped below the programmed setting. This turns on the air handler and allows fuel to travel through a valve to the burners. At the same time, the electronic ignition lights the burners, which heats up the air trapped inside the heat exchanger.
As the air handler circulates air, it travels past the heat exchanger and picks up heat. Then the heated air travels through ductwork where supply registers deliver it to the interior. The air handler also draws cooler air in through return registers, where it travels through the ductwork and back to the furnace for reheating. This cycle repeats until the desired temperature is reached and the thermostat signals the furnace to turn off.
That’s how your furnace works in a nutshell. To learn more, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning today. We serve customers in Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area