Vent systems are an integral part of a gas furnace’s combustion process. At the end of a heating cycle, a venting system guarantees that the harmful vapours are evacuated from the heat exchangers and burners. A broken vent could be the root of your furnace’s failure to turn on. We’ve put up a rundown of three different types of venting systems and how they work to assist you figure out why your furnace isn’t working.
What is the best way to vent a propane furnace?
HVAC contractors can employ concentric venting, which is a single pipe with an inner exhaust vent and an outer intake vent for the air used in the burning of a propane furnace. Installers can only make one penetration through the building shell to the outside.
Is it possible to vent a propane furnace through a wall?
Direct vents are made up of two pipes of varying sizes, one inside the other. The larger outer pipe draws air in from the outside for combustion. The smaller, inner pipe is used to expel exhaust gases. These furnace vents can be mounted horizontally through an outside wall or vertically through the roof to vent exhaust gases. A direct vent is more expensive than a natural vent, but it is also more efficient and safer.
Electronic Ignition
An electronic igniting mechanism is used in a high-efficiency condensing furnace. It’s a hot-surface ignition device with an electronically controlled resistance heating element that looks like a light bulb filament. The gas burner is ignited by the hot surface of the heating element. It outperforms a pilot light in terms of performance and safety. Due to its improved working efficiency, it also saves energy.
Special Furnace Venting and Drainage
A high-efficiency condensing furnace, as previously stated, has unique venting and condensate drainage needs. It also contains a unique heat exchanger that can extract heat from the fuel combustion process for a longer period of time. It continues to extract heat until the combustion exhaust gases have cooled and condensed. Condensation drips from the heat exchanger of the furnace and into a floor drain or dedicated catch basin. Through specific plastic pipes, low-temperature residual flue gases are vented to the outdoors.
Sidewall Venting
Your contractor should take extra steps while installing your new high-efficiency condensing furnace to ensure that all ventilation systems are properly situated and functioning. Sidewall venting is one of the most significant safety aspects of gas-condensing systems.
Installing separate vent pipes horizontally so that they vent to the exterior via a wall of your home is required for proper sidewall venting. To prevent combustion gas leakage, these ventilation pipes should be isolated from the furnace combustion chamber and made airtight. They should be built such that any condensate in the pipes drains backwards and into the floor drain or catch basin without freezing.
If not adequately vented, a high-efficiency condensing furnace might pose two safety risks.
First, unless the ventilation pipes are airtight, the gas leftovers may contain residual carbon monoxide, which could leak back into your home. Second, inadequately venting exhaust via a chimney (as is common with traditional gas furnace systems) can cause damage to chimneys and chimney liners if it freezes. In addition, unprotected chimney bricks and mortar can be damaged by the acidic components in the exhaust. As a result, condensing furnace exhaust should never be vented through a normal chimney.
Two Heat Exchangers
Two heat exchangers are used in high-efficiency furnace venting. (Traditional furnaces only had one.) They employ a two-stage method. The first heat exchanger is heated by burning gas in the first step. The second stage begins once the first heat exchanger has been heated. The secondary heat exchanger extracts heat from the hot exhaust gases in the second stage. The exhaust gases are cooled to the point where the water vapour in the exhaust gas condenses into water during the heat extraction process. Any gas byproducts that result are cool enough to exhaust outdoors through a PVC pipe. The condensed water is drained into a drain on the floor.
Is it necessary for a propane furnace to have a fresh air intake?
Many homeowners are unsure whether or not to have a fresh air intake because of the ongoing improvement of furnace technology and the architecture of modern homes. Is it truly vital to breathe in fresh air nowadays? And, if so, what exactly is its purpose?
Because furnaces are designed to push air out of the house, they require a fresh air intake. You can rest confident that your furnace’s combustion will not harm your home’s air quality or necessitate frequent Lennox furnace repair near me if you instal a fresh air intake. Continue reading to learn what an air intake is and why it is so important for a furnace’s efficiency.
Is a chimney required for a propane furnace?
If you have an old-style propane furnace, you can tell right away. It will be connected to a chimney by a flue pipe. Furnaces that are referred to as “atmospheric” or “natural combustion” can last for years. Even if everything goes perfectly, their AFUE numbers are unlikely to exceed 65 percent to 75 percent. Newer sealed-combustion furnaces, on the other hand, are extremely energy efficient, with AFUE ratings of up to 96 percent. If you’re searching for a way to save money, this can be a great alternative!
The combustion chamber of a sealed-combustion furnace is closed off to provide the furnace more control over the combustion process. The air required for combustion is delivered to the combustion chamber via a small-diameter plastic pipe from outside the house. Gases produced by combustion are also vented outdoors via a conduit with the help of a tiny fan. Because it may be vented via an exterior wall, this sort of furnace is commonly referred to as “direct vent.” There is no need for a chimney.
Is it necessary to vent propane gas heaters?
Both vent-free propane space heaters and ductless propane space heaters are available in a number of capacities to fit almost any home or work area.
Vent-free propane heaters are less expensive and give more installation freedom than direct vent propane heaters because they don’t require outside venting or access to an external wall. However, unlike direct vent choices, combustion gases are vented within the home in both vent-free options, which may affect persons who are sensitive to scents or allergies.
Both blue flame and infrared vent-free gas heaters are incredibly efficient (usually more than 99 percent), requiring roughly the same quantity of gas to create the same amount of overall heat.
- Gas is used to heat ceramic panels that radiate heat like the sun in infrared vent less heaters. Rather than heating the air, they heat items (or people) in the space by radiating heat. Because of this, an infrared heater’s effect is very targeted: if you stand directly in front of one, you will quickly feel the heat, making it a wonderful heater to stand in front of if you’ve just walked in from the cold.
- Blue flame ventless heaters work by warming the air in the room through convection. Because it must heat the air rather than a specific object, a blue flame heater will take longer to heat a space, but it will provide more constant temperature control than an infrared heater. A blue flame heater is usually the better choice if your space is insulated.
Is it possible to exhaust a furnace using PVC?
PVC pipe makers do not suggest PVC for this purpose, despite the fact that plastic vent pipes have become synonymous with high-efficiency condensing furnaces. There are no ASTM requirements for plastic pipe used for combustion gas venting, either. Even though a furnace manufacturer cites a standards agency and standardfor example, ASTM D1785 for Schedule 40 PVC pipe installationthe standard is exclusively for pipe installation. “This standard specification for PVC pipe does not include specifications for pipe and fittings intended to be utilised to vent combustion gases,” according to the ASTM D1785 standard for Schedule 40 (applicable to plumbing drain pipework).
What is the maximum length of a furnace vent pipe?
A furnace exhaust vent can be run a maximum vertical distance of around 15 feet. The exhaust gas ventilation terminal should be at least 3 feet above a forced air input if it is within 10 feet of the exhaust vent.
Is a chimney liner required for my furnace?
Did you ever wonder what the chimney was for besides allowing Santa to enter your house now that most of us don’t use fireplaces to heat our homes? The chimney in a house serves several uses. Yes, they are still utilised as a fire-fighting ventilation system on occasion, but they usually serve a more essential purpose. The chimney is employed as a ventilation system for the emitted steam from the furnace, depending on the effectiveness of your furnace.
Steam that is up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit is released by older, less efficient furnaces.
To exit out the hole, this enormous heat requires the entire space of a chimney.
More efficient furnaces, such as those with an efficiency rating of 80 percent, also use the chimney for ventilation.
They do not, however, require the enormous volume of the chimney because the temperature of the steam they create is substantially decreased to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is when chimney liners are required.
Chimney liners, as its name implies, line the inside of the chimney.
They are formed of metal and minimise the size of the chimney space, allowing steam to fill it.
So, why is this required?
Because the steam from high-efficiency furnaces does not fill the entire chimney, moisture might accumulate.
This can cause acid to leak in through the masonry, causing the chimney to deteriorate.
Is a chimney liner required in your home?
To discover out, start by asking yourself a few questions.
I’m not sure what kind of furnace I have. You probably don’t need a liner if it’s older and less efficient. A chimney liner is not required if the system is high efficiency (90 percent AFUE or more). These systems have a completely separate ventilation system from the chimney.
I’m not sure what kind of chimney I have. If you have a recent home with a thin metal chimney flue, it’s likely that it’s already tiny enough to accommodate high-efficiency furnaces. Depending on how efficient your furnace is, you may require a liner if you have an older home with a wide brick chimney.
Do I have a chimney liner already?
Examine the top of your brick chimney flue for clues.
You’ll see another metal flue poking out a little higher than the original brick aperture if you have one.
What happens if the furnace isn’t properly vented?
Heat exchangers can rust as a result of incorrect venting. Corrosion can also be caused by the passage of time. Corrosion can cause cracks in your heat exchanger, which is a major issue.