Furnace Replacement & Installation in Illinois
A furnace is a whole-house heater that distributes hot air with a ductwork system. A large fan in the furnace blows heated air through supply ducts to be distributed throughout the living space.
At the same time, the fan pulls cooler air back to the furnace through return ducts, so the air can be reheated.
Most furnaces are designed to burn a specific type of fuel. Multi-fuel furnaces are an exception, and can typically burn two types of fuel.
Furnaces by fuel type
For many homeowners, the type of furnace installed in your home depends on the type of fuel that is available locally. However, it is possible to switch fuel types when installing a new furnace. For example, you could replace an oil-fired furnace with a furnace that burns natural gas or propane, if these fuels are available locally.
In addition to being classified by fuel type, furnaces are also described in the following ways:
- BTU output. The heat output of a furnace is listed in thousands of btus (80,000btu, for example) and denotes the amount of heat energy the appliance can produce.
- Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. A standard measure of efficiency for furnaces, AFUE tells you the percentage of input energy the furnace can convert to output energy for warming your home.
- Configuration. A "high-boy" furnace is a tall model with the blower located under the heat exchanger. A "low-boy" furnace has the blower in back of the heat exchanger, making it shorter.
- Combustion. A "sealed combustion" furnace, also known as a high-efficiency furnace, requires no chimney and no indoor air for combustion. Instead, outside air is brought in through a small pipe to provide oxygen for combustion, and flue gases are piped directly outside. Old-style "atmospheric combustion" furnaces require a chimney and rely on indoor air for combustion. A sealed combustion furnace is more suitable for a tight, well-insulated house.
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