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Show Fundamentals of a gas furnace It wasn't all that long ago that, if you were in the mar- gas. Institute explains that re- gardless of the design, all gas furnaces consist of four main components: a a heat burner, exchanger, a blower and a vent pipe or ket for a gas furnace, there really wasnt that much to choose from. Within the last few years, however, technological advances in gas furnace design have given homeowners a myriad of choices, all of which are intended to increase indoor comfort while decreasing heating costs. The Trane Home Comfort flue. The burner is where the gas is delivered THE SAN JUAN RE CORD Wednesday November 30, 1994 The device works like an and burned. Almost all gas furnaces today use an electronic ignition device instead of a constantly burning pilot light to ignite the automobile spark plug. Whenever the thermostat calls for heat, the ignition device instantly lights the burners. By not using any gas between ignition cycles, this component conserves the fuel previously used by a pilot light. The heat exchanger transfers the heat produced from the burning gas to the homes distribution system. They come in a variety of shapes, with a serpentine configuration being one of the most efficient and popu- Vent- - Pipe Heat Exchangers Gas Valve Gas Burners Control lar. Blower or Fan System When looking at gas furnaces, the Trane Home APPLIANCE SALES & SERVICE If you are beyond the mains, Use clean, efficient PROPANE slijiitisVB' It&l O lUgRglP r' cr ' , - n ''O' s v 1 ' . -- - Comfort Institute recommends that the heat exchanger be crimped instead of welded together. The new crimped method of manufacturing helps eliminate heat stress cracks that might occur. The blower is a large fan that moves the heated air through ducts to the location in the home where it is needed. The vent pipe or flue exhausts the gaseous byproducts of combustion to the outdoors. Depending on the type of furnace, venting can take place through the chimney or through a plastic pipe out the side of the house. These four components form the basis of three types of gas furnaces: a conven- tional - ' furnace, warm-ai- r an induced draft furnace, and a condensing furnace. Conventional warm air ,, furnaces burn natural or .T propane gas to provide heat to the heat exchanger. Indoor air flows around the heat exchanger to be heated f and then throughout Gas Fireplaces Gas Fireplace Inserts Gas Stove Heaters Gas Logs Nordic Heat-N-Gl- Rasmussen Logs circulated the house through ducts. Other ducts return air that has cooled to to reheated be the furnace and recirculated. Addi- tional air is drawn into the flue for venting purposes. This air mixes with the hot exhaust gases and exits Source: Trane Home Comfort Institute through the chimney. Induced draft furnaces are similar to conventional furnaces except for their venting method. Conventional furnaces draw air through an opening in the front of the furnace and at the flue to create a natural draft. Induced draft furnaces use a fan to draw the combustion products into the flue. This artificially created draft increases the efficiency of the furnace. A condensing furnace is so named because it con- - Natural gas can save consumers money on utility bills according to energy price projections released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). DOE statistics show that residential natural gas prices in 1994 will be lower than electricity and heating oil on a national average basis. DOE estimates that the 1994 residential price of natural gas will be $6.04 per million Btu (MMBtu), with the Blaze King Pegasus - Direct Vent Valor furnaces densing are among the most efficient on the market. corn- - pared with $24.65 per MMBtu for electricity and $7.60 per MMBtu for heating oil. This means it will cost consumers less to heat their homes, heat water, cook and dry clothes - if they use natural gas appliances, American Gas Association President Michael Baly says. Consumer prices for natural gas have been very stable for the past 10 years, because the nation has an ample supply of natural gas and because of the development of new technologies in the search for gas, Baly says. In addition, natural gas is an American energy from coming Tired of Hauling America, Wood? North Baly says. 1994 Consumer Energy Cost per Million Btu Natural gas is cheaper, cleaner, easier! HOOK-UP- S water vapor in the hot flue gases, thereby extracting additional heat for the home. Because the resulting flue gases are at a very low temperature, they can be vented directly outdoors through a plastic pipe that can run through a side wall. A drain disposes of the condensed water. Con- with about 99 percent of the natural gas the nation uses PROPANE MODELS AVAILABLE FREE ESTIMATES tains a second heat exchanger that condenses Natural gas costs less REACH FOR THE SKY Heatilator o Page 11. Natural Gas Q $6.04 Pegasus 9300 Heating n Direct Vent Gas Stove FROM APPLIANCE TO CITY LINE Oil $7.60 Electricity j $24.65 Source Dept of Energy DOUG WHIPPLE Heating & Monticello, Utah Plumbing 801-587-28- 64 percent of the natural gas consumed in the United States comes from North America, with 90 percent coming from the lower-4- 8 states. Ninety-nin- e 154 S Main Blanding KERRY BLACK 801-678-22- 801-678-25- 59 67 |