Even though the furnace is the oldest type of home heating system, going back to the days when people hooked up pipes to their stoves to spread warmth through the other rooms, they remain a competitive type of comfort system. This is because furnace technology advances every year, with new engineering helping the next generation of models to achieve improved energy efficiency, performance, and safety. There has never been a better time to replace an aging furnace with a new unit that excels in every department.
Atmospheric Combustion vs. Sealed Combustion
One of the ways that new furnaces surpass older ones is through sealed combustion. This is different than atmospheric combustion, which was the standard way that furnaces operated for decades. With atmospheric combustion, the furnace draws the air required for the combustion process directly from the house. The air passes through a grill on the cabinet and into the combustion chamber, where it creates a mixture with the gas that the burners will combust. But this pulls already heated air from the home, and will force outdoor air to come into the house to replace what was lost. This ends up cooling the house and can also make the air drier. In addition, the open combustion chamber will lose heat and present a danger of a backdraft that can pull exhaust vapor into the home.
A furnace that uses sealed combustion doesn’t face any of these problems. A sealed combustion chamber draws the air it needs through a plastic pipe that runs to the outside of the house. There’s no loss of heated air from the home, no energy siphoned away from an open combustion chamber, and far fewer hazards. It’s thanks to sealed combustion chambers that newer furnaces can achieve high AFUE ratings for energy efficiency.
For more than two decades, Red Rock Mechanical LLC has provided the Burlington, VT and Plattsburgh, NY areas with the best in indoor comfort. Contact us for heating services this winter.
