Heating 101

Simple Furnace Selection

Also See: The 3 Must Do's! & How Often?

How to select the right firnace for your home...
TIP: First Select a NATE Certified Contractor, then follow the steps below…

1. Select the furnace efficiency, either 80% (80 AFUE) or 90-H% (90 AFUE). The highest efficiency (90+%) furnaces cost about $1,000.00 more than the 80% efficient furnaces. The 90+% efficient furnaces are considered to be sealed combustion and therefore very quiet. How the furnace venting will be accomplished must be considered.

2. Select a multi-stage (two or more stages) furnace. The multi-stage furnace is the best choice in Colorado as we have so much mild weather, e.g. so many days when the outdoor temperature is 40° F. or above. When the outdoor temperature is mild you only need a small moderate capacity furnace. The multi-stage furnace gives you that feature on those mild days. This leads to greater comfort and efficiency.

3. Select a fixed speed or variable speed blower motor. The variable speed blower motor is very efficient and the best choice as it can be operated continuously at a very low speed while only consuming about 60 watts of electrical power, i.e. about the same as a medium sized light bulb. The variable speed blower motor furnace is the best choice especially if you have a high efficiency air cleaner as you can run the blower continuously at low speed thus filtering the air in your home all the time. The variable speed blower motor furnaces only cost about $300.00 more than single/fixed speed blower motor furnaces.

4. Select the heating capacity in Btu’s per hour. To do that you probably need help and that is what Alex Walter, Furnaces, A/C & More can do for you. The best choice is a furnace which will run constantly at an outdoor temperature of about zero degrees or below. Selecting a furnace with too much capacity is not efficient (it is wasteful) and provides less comfort than a properly sized furnace.

5. Now all you have to do is select the things you would like to have installed with your furnace . . . easy to set thermostat, air conditioning, high efficiency air cleaner, humidifier, zoning controls etc. Ask Alex Walter about these things. . . he can help you decide.

to maintain your Furnace

1. Change, replace, or clean the furnace filter.
2. Change, replace, or clean the furnace filter.
3. Change, replace, or clean the furnace filter.

If you have a “media” filter which looks like a pleated coffee maker filter or fiberglass or some sort of disposable weave filter (they are all made in several colors) you should replace it regularly.

If you have an electronic air cleaner/filter you should clean of replace the pre-filters (if any) and wash the grid sections in the dishwasher or at a high pressure water spray car wash facility.

If you have a filter which says it is an “Electrostatic” filter you should either know that it does not restrict air flow through your furnace too much or you should replace it with another type of filter. Electrostatic filters tend to restrict air flow through your furnace too much so the furnace overheats. This is NOT GOOD!

If you don’t know what type of filter you have and/or you don’t know where to find it in your furnace or filter grill call Alex Walter (303-695-1465) or other friendly heating and air conditioning contractor for advice.

Homeowners often ask. . . How often do I need to follow steps 1-3 above?

"I suggest you check your filter at least every holiday time, i.e. New Years, Valentine’s Day or Washington’s Birthday, April Fool’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving etc. Since every cui heating and air conditioning system is different there is no filter change interval to suit all."

TIP: Once you learn how often your filter gets to looking very gray, filled with dust, you may adjust your filter maintenance schedule to suit. If you don’t have air conditioning and you don’t run your furnace fan/blower in the summer you don’t need to clean or maintain your furnace filter in the summer.

If you have air conditioning and/or a humidifier please contact us for advice related to your specific system.