Forced Air
Heating

A forced air system consists of a heating unit such as a furnace or air handler with a hot water coil and a fan that sends heated air through a network of air ducts to different areas of the house.

The advantages of a forced air heating system is the duct system provides an infrastructure for add-ons such as central air conditioning, air filters and air purifiers and humidification if necessary.

There are many people who have problems with this type of system.

Allegations of discomfort, drafts, dry air are the norm.

Some people even blame these systems for their allergies.

Though their complaints are valid, these are only symptoms of poorly designed and installed systems.

Some of the things that cause these problems are:

• Undersized and poorly installed duct systems that deliver only 50% of the required air flow into the home.
• Leaky ducts that can draw undesirable air from basements, crawlspaces and attics causing poor indoor air quality as well as high energy bills.
• Oversized furnaces that cause large temperature fluctuations, leading to discomfort.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Properly designed systems can provide excellent comfort levels, good indoor air quality and reasonable energy bills.

Hiring the right heating contractor can ensure you enjoy these benefits.

A good contractor uses industry accepted practices to ensure your comfort and safety.

Here are some questions to ask a prospective heating contractor:

Will you use Manual J to size my system ?

Manual J is the industry standard for performing heat loss and heat gain calculations to find out how many BTU’s (British Thermal Units) are needed to heat or cool a house.

Will you use Manual D to design my duct system?

Manual D is the industry standard for designing air duct systems.

Will you mastic and seal the duct system?

We already talked about the effects of a leaky duct system.

Will you measure the pressure in the duct system.

This test verifies the furnace is providing the rated air flow.

If the contractor attempts to sidestep or downplay any of these questions, look for another contractor.

Using a furnace as the main component of a forced air system is what I consider a good basic system.

The option of using an air handler with a hot water coil is the way to go, however you would need a heating boiler for this type of system.

This is called a hydro-air or hybrid system.

This approach let’s you enjoy all of the benefits of a hot water heat.

In addition to heating your home through the duct system you can also warm your floors, install a heated towel rack, have abundant hot water for showers and baths and even melt snow and ice from your sidewalk or driveway.

This is all done with one combustion appliance.

Forced air heating systems can also be enhanced by modulating the speed of the fan and also run the fan at a very low speed even when the house does not require heat.

The benefits of this strategy are room to room temperatures that are more even.

If you are using an air filter or purifier you’ll have continuous air cleaning.

To accomplish this, our company uses a device called the Fanhandler fan speed control.

The comments I receive from our clients when we install these systems are very positive.

They boast that they’ve never been more comfortable in their home.

If you live in a house that has a forced air heating system that you are not happy with or if you are building a new home and considering forced air heating, just follow my suggestions.

There are no compromises if you do it right!

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