Furnace Installation Disasters: 4 Common Mistakes

You can think of your furnace and duct system as the heart and lungs of your home. You need a healthy furnace that is the right size to do the job of keeping your house warm and comfortable through the winter months. Proper furnace installation is a critical component of a safe and efficient heating system. If your furnace is not installed correctly, you put yourself at risk of a heating failure, and there could even be threats to your health. In this article, we will discuss some common furnace installation mistakes and what you can do to ensure you avoid them.

Proper Furnace Installation and Maintenance

It is highly important that you leave the installation of your furnace to properly trained HVAC technicians. Your furnace is a critical component of your household, and a faulty furnace can lead to frozen pipes or significant ice and water damage that might render your home unliveable.

All furnaces use highly technical fuel systems that sometimes include gas lines. These gas lines must be properly connected to ensure there are no leaks of potentially harmful gasses in your home. Exhaust venting can also create a health concern if done incorrectly.

HVAC technicians can provide you with an assurance that your furnace has been properly installed and will serve you well with no health risks to you or your family. It may be tempting to try to save a few dollars on installation, but in most cases, the additional costs that are created by improper installation add up to a much greater expense than the price of paying a certified technician. Not only should your furnace be installed by a certified technician, but you should also have your furnace serviced by a certified technician every year.

• Common Furnace Maintenance: It is important that every homeowner learns about the basic operation of their furnace so that they can quickly identify any problems before they develop into major concerns.
• Regular Maintenance: All furnaces require minimal yearly maintenance that can be performed by the homeowner. These maintenance items include such tasks as changing the air filter, changing fuses, and oiling the blower if applicable.
• Potential Issues: While performing basic maintenance tasks, it is important to examine the rest of your furnace for obvious signs of potential issues. Pooling water, discoloration, burn marks, or strange noises should all be noted, and you should contact an HVAC technician immediately.
• What to Do If You Smell Gas: If you smell gas, turn off the gas shutoff valve and evacuate the property with your family. Gas can lead to fire and explosion, and could even poison you as you sleep. Part of avoiding furnace disasters is having carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home.

4 Common Furnace Installation Mistakes

If you are in the market for a new home, it’s important to develop the ability to identify a properly installed furnace. Even a furnace that has been in operation for years might not be free from installation mistakes. Installation mistakes can undermine the longevity of a furnace and make you susceptible to issues at inopportune times.

If there is an installation mistake in your home, you need to discover it and correct it as soon as possible. It is much better to fix a furnace during the summer or on a warm autumn day than to attempt to schedule emergency furnace repair in the midst of a week-long, sub-freezing cold snap.

Ensuring proper furnace operation is just as important to your home as changing the oil in your vehicle. When you discover an issue, don’t put off repairs. Your house is your biggest investment, and it cannot be emphasized enough how important a furnace is to protect that investment.

Incorrect Furnace Size

It is important to ensure that you have the correct size furnace for your home. Sometimes people believe that bigger is better, but that is not the case with your home furnace. You need the right-sized furnace for your home, not one that is too big or one that is too small.

• Too Small: It is easy to see the problem with a furnace that is too small. The small furnace will become overworked by attempting to heat a large space and will struggle to reach its target temperature. This can lead to the furnace burning out.
• Too Large: A furnace that is too large for your home can also be a problem. In this case, the furnace reaches its target temperature too quickly, which causes the system to short-cycle. This means that the furnace is constantly turning itself off and on, which wears down critical components.

Both furnaces that are too big and furnaces that are too small are subject to failure. and it is important to follow the recommendations of an HVAC specialist when you are determining your furnace size.

Improper Ventilation

A gas furnace must be properly ventilated to expel the exhaust gas created by the heating process. It is imperative that the damper is the correct size and is properly installed so as to prevent exhaust gas flowing into the cabinet or anywhere it may remain trapped in your home.

• Understand Your Vent: Have your HVAC technician walk you through the ventilation component of your furnace. Even if you don’t understand the process, obliging the technician to explain the setup constitutes a final walkthrough that will eliminate the possibility of any errors.
• For New Homes: If you are purchasing a new home, ask your HVAC technician to walk you through the ventilation system when you schedule your first maintenance appointment. The more you know about your furnace, the better equipped you are to identify a problem. However, always leave repairs of ventilation systems to professionally licensed individuals.

Improper Connection to Ductwork

In most cases, you will install a new furnace to an existing set of ductwork. The new installation will often require adaptation to allow your new furnace to fit with your ducts. If the furnace is not connected to the ducts properly, the furnace might struggle to provide heat to every corner of the home.

Installing a new furnace is also a good opportunity to clean the existing ductwork and remove dust and debris that might have accumulated. Proper furnace installation means the new furnace is professionally integrated with your existing ductwork.

Improper Drainage

Many furnaces create wastewater that must be drained away from the furnace. Obviously, you do not want pools of water gathering in your basement that can potentially damage your furnace, other appliances, or anything that is stored in the basement. Mold and air quality issues can also develop as a result of improper drainage.

It is important to periodically check on your furnace for the first few weeks or months after installation to ensure there are no drainage issues. Even when these issues are present, it might be several months before there are visible indications of the problem.

Consult With a Certified Technician

Asure the comfort and safety of your family by contracting a licensed HVAC professional for the proper installation of your new furnace. The proper installation provides you with the best possible return on your investment through the assurance that there are no installation mistakes that might reduce the lifespan of your appliance. Call Air Force Heating for any questions you might have on furnace installation or to schedule your own installation today.