So you’re looking for a new furnace and you’ve got a lot on your plate. You’re probably buried in comparisons between fuel types, AFUE vs HSPF ratings, and a dozen other considerations. So, it can be pretty tempting at times to just go with whatever furnace fits in the space you have available just to get the whole process over with. We don’t recommend that for a number of reasons, one of the most important being this: size matters. If the furnace you install in your home is too big, or too small, you’re going to be amazed at how quickly things are going to turn sour for you.
Oversized Furnaces
Furnaces that are too large for the homes in which they are installed generate far too much output. Oftentimes, this results in the thermostat shutting down the furnace before it’s had a chance to complete a full heating cycle. Furnaces of all sizes are designed to operate in cycles, where they generate a set amount of output over a set period of time before resting. If the furnace is shut down before it can ever complete a full heating cycle, it will start to have some negative effects.
The various parts of the furnace will wear down more rapidly than they are designed to. The furnace will not be able to actually heat the home efficiently, because the thermostat will keep cutting it off. The overall lifespan of the furnace could even be shortened, if it’s allowed to short cycle for long enough.
Undersized Furnaces
An undersized furnace will not be able to generate enough heat to keep the home comfortable, so it will stay operating for much longer than it was designed to do in an attempt to compensate. This is pretty much the exact opposite problem from if the system were too large, but in the end it will have the same results: increased wear and tear on the system culminating in a shorter lifespan.
Proper Sizing
Properly sizing a furnace isn’t just a matter of getting the right physical dimensions, though that is an important part of installing the system. You’re going to want to look at the overall output of the system relative to the size of your home, in order to get an accurate picture of whether or not the furnace is the right size. You can attempt to do this on your own, or you can have a professional do it for you. We recommend having a professional do it, simply because they will be able to get a much more accurate calculation of how large your furnace needs to be. Having a professional do it will effectively eliminate the chances of you installing the wrong size of furnace.
Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. offers a full range of furnace installation services in Macclenny, FL. If you need furnace installation services of any kind, we can help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians. We’ll make sure that your furnace serves you well.