Home Remodeling Tips & Tricks

As a homeowner, replacing a furnace is a serious undertaking. If your home's furnace is nearing the end of its life, or if it has already stopped working, it's time to think about new furnace installation. The good news is that this is the time to decide if you want to stick with the same type of furnace or opt for something different. Here are a few things to think about.

Is Your Current Furnace Style Causing Problems?

If you have a forced-air furnace that's introducing allergens, dust, or other particles into the air in your home, you might be thinking about choosing a different type of heating system. However, if you like the way that the forced-air unit works despite these problems, you might want to consider simply adding an air filtration system to the heating infrastructure.

Similarly, if you have a radiant heat system, such as a boiler furnace, and you're struggling with having to bleed the lines frequently to maintain consistent heat, you might be thinking about switching to forced air instead. You can also have the lines inspected when you have your new boiler furnace installed to identify any source of loose connections or cracks that could be letting air in the system.

What Kind Of Infrastructure Does Your Home Have?

If you are giving serious thought to changing your heating system, you need to be realistic about the type of heating infrastructure that's available in your home. Replacing a radiant heat system with a forced-air furnace means having access to air ducts. If your home has always used radiant heat, there may not be ducts in the house. This can add to the installation cost as you'll need to have ducts installed as well.

Additionally, if you switch from a forced-air system to a radiant heat system, you may need to have radiators installed in the house and have the air ducts closed off to prevent air seeping through and interfering with your climate control.

What Kind Of Space Do You Have?

Every furnace style comes in different sizes and shapes, which makes certain types of furnaces better for some environments than others. Boiler heating systems often need more space because the units must accommodate the heating chambers as well as the bladder that stores the water.

If you're limited on space, you may be better off to stick with a traditional forced-air furnace system instead. Your furnace installation technician can help you to evaluate the space where your furnace will be installed to determine if you have room for the heating system you'd prefer.

Contact a company like Vacinek Plumbing Heating & Roofing for more information.