Choosing A New Furnace
As winter approaches, everyone begins to think about the furnace.
Will in kick on? Will it last through another long, cold winter?
Should we install a new furnace? If so, with what kind? If these
questions are familiar to you, keep reading as we try to "demystify"
a couple of household heating sources.
The most important step to take before starting the furnace for the
season is to have it inspected by a licensed
Cabbarrus County heating
professional. They will clean the furnace, make sure it is in
good working order, they will also recommend any parts that will
need to be serviced or replaced in the near future.
If the furnace inspector tells you that it is time to replace the
furnace, you may be overwhelmed by the choices in today’s’ furnace
market. There are the standard gas, oil and electric furnaces as
well as the newer outdoor wood furnaces and corn-fueled furnaces to
name a few. There is lots of information available on these newer
furnaces on the internet, however, a quick overview will be provided
here.
One of the most popular options today is an outdoor heating source.
It uses the old standby of wood, but eliminates the mess and smell
associated with burning wood. An outdoor wood heating unit is placed
approximately 500ft from the house. The wood burner itself is built
inside of a small building, this often is made to look like a
smaller house or shed. The heat is carried from the burner via
heated water, which runs through underground, insulated pipes. This
is the most effective and efficient method for moving heat over
distances. Once the heated water reaches its destination, there are
a couple of options for actually heating the home. Using a boiler,
radiant floor heating system, a heat exchanger or a forced air
furnace that is powered by a direct circulation system. The wood
burning system can also do double duty to heat household water if a
water-to-water heat exchanger is installed.
Although there are many advantages to using an outside wood burning
furnace, it has a down side to its use as well. The cost can be
quite high for most people, running approximately $5,000 installed.
This of course, depends upon what part of the country you live in.
Another alternative to the traditional furnace that is gaining in
popularity is the corn burning furnace. This type of furnace uses
shelled corn (the same kind fed to livestock) to heat a home. While
this is a viable source of heat it is not fool proof, it does have
drawbacks that need to be considered before making a final decision.
Corn fuel furnaces are comparable to a convention furnace as far as
price is concerned, costing roughly $2,000. It uses corn that has no
more than 15% moisture content; fortunately, this is the same
percentage of moisture as feed corn, making it very easy to obtain
from a local elevator. The cost of burning corn as compared to
propane is approximately one bushel of corn is to 5.5 gallons of
propane fuel. Corn is also a natural and renewable resource, and
keeps farmers in business while keeping your heating costs down.
On the other side, corn fed furnaces need daily cleaning to be
efficient. They also run on an electric fan system, if you lose
electricity, you lose heat also. For this reason, its best to either
have a generator or a back up furnace for emergencies.
Being armed with the knowledge of these types of heating sources
will make you a more educated consumer when it is time to replace an
old, worn out furnace.
Linda Moore writes on a variety of subjects including
home ownership, family matters, personal enrichment, replacing your
furnace
http://www.get-lower-heating-bills.info and property values.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Moore
If you are looking
for a Cabarrus County heating and air conditioning contractor please call
us today at 704-933-5262 or complete our
online request
form.
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