Remember Me
forgot your password?

Home Heating Choosing a New Furnace

As winter approaches, everyone begins to think about the furnace. Will in kick on? Will it last through another long, cold winter? Should we install a new furnace? If so, with what kind? If these questions are familiar to you, keep reading as we try to "demystify" a couple of household heating sources.

The most important step to take before starting the furnace for the season is to have it inspected by a licensed professional. They will clean the furnace, make sure it is in good working order, they will also recommend any parts that will need to be serviced or replaced in the near future.

If the furnace inspector tells you that it is time to replace the furnace, you may be overwhelmed by the choices in today's' furnace market. There are the standard gas, oil and electric furnaces as well as the newer outdoor wood furnaces and corn-fueled furnaces to name a few. There is lots of information available on these newer furnaces on the internet, however, a quick overview will be provided here.

One of the most popular options today is an outdoor heating source. It uses the old standby of wood, but eliminates the mess and smell associated with burning wood. An outdoor wood heating unit is placed approximately 500ft from the house. The wood burner itself is built inside of a small building, this often is made to look like a smaller house or shed. The heat is carried from the burner via heated water, which runs through underground, insulated pipes. This is the most effective and efficient method for moving heat over distances. Once the heated water reaches its destination, there are a couple of options for actually heating the home. Using a boiler, radiant floor heating system, a heat exchanger or a forced air furnace that is powered by a direct circulation system. The wood burning system can also do double duty to heat household water if a water-to-water heat exchanger is installed.

Although there are many advantages to using an outside wood burning furnace, it has a down side to its use as well. The cost can be quite high for most people, running approximately $5,000 installed. This of course, depends upon what part of the country you live in.

Another alternative to the traditional furnace that is gaining in popularity is the corn burning furnace. This type of furnace uses shelled corn (the same kind fed to livestock) to heat a home. While this is a viable source of heat it is not fool proof, it does have drawbacks that need to be considered before making a final decision.

Corn fuel furnaces are comparable to a convention furnace as far as price is concerned, costing roughly $2,000. It uses corn that has no more than 15% moisture content; fortunately, this is the same percentage of moisture as feed corn, making it very easy to obtain from a local elevator. The cost of burning corn as compared to propane is approximately one bushel of corn is to 5.5 gallons of propane fuel. Corn is also a natural and renewable resource, and keeps farmers in business while keeping your heating costs down.

On the other side, corn fed furnaces need daily cleaning to be efficient. They also run on an electric fan system, if you lose electricity, you lose heat also. For this reason, its best to either have a generator or a back up furnace for emergencies.

Being armed with the knowledge of these types of heating sources will make you a more educated consumer when it is time to replace an old, worn out furnace.

Linda Moore
Linda Moore writes on a variety of subjects including home ownership, family matters, personal enrichment, replacing your furnace and property values,
Rate this Article: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/home-heating-choosing-a-new-furnace-9294.html
Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Home and Family Articles
  • More from Linda Moore

7 Hollywood Stars Share Diet Secrets!

By: Walter Derksen | 06/07/2009
If you are ready to look like a Hollywood movie star tis is for you. Here are tips and tricks from seven of the greatest stars in Hollywood and television on how to lose weight and keep your gorgeous figure. Learn what works and how to get trim fast using methods we all can do. Just combine exercise with diet and you to can look like your favorite Hollywood star.

Getting the Best from your Septic Tank

By: Scott Rodgers | 06/07/2009
A septic tank is a safe and hygienic method of disposing of household sewage. They will keep working well for many years with a regular maintenance routine.

Different Uses For Outdoor Garden Lights

By: Colin D Price | 06/07/2009
Once you have created a beautiful garden you want to appreciate it not only during the daylight hours but after dark too. Outdoor garden lights will illuminate your house and garden in many ways.

How To Can Food

By: nlwest21 | 06/07/2009
Learn how you are able to can your home grown fruits and vegetables for long periods of time and without them spoiling.

Divorce Strategies and Tactics - Steve & Samantha Divorce Review

By: Chris Jensen | 05/07/2009
Divorce is not an easy task to deal with. Specially with the aftermath of divorce. You need tactics and strategies to cope through the stage.

Divorce Strategies and Tactics - Coping With Divorce

By: Chris Jensen | 05/07/2009
Divorce is not an easy task to deal with. Specially with the aftermath of divorce. You need tactics and strategies to cope through the stage.

Web models feature models young and older

By: Britney Simpson | 05/07/2009
If you have aspirations of being a model or want your child to be a model, you should consider the careers of web models. Models young and older are used for various website advertisements and are in very great demand.

Models young and old and child models

By: Britney Simpson | 05/07/2009
Anyone who has a website and is looking for models young or old can find them by going to an online modeling agency. This is the best place to find child models who are ideal for showcasing your products on your site.

Indoor Tanning Your Safer Alternative to the Sun

By: Linda Moore | 22/12/2005 | Health
Whether you are trying indoor tanning for the first time to get ready for a vacation or to keep your summer tan all year long, there are rules that should be followed. These rules are necessary for your safety as well as for your health. Many people vis

Bed Wetting And Your Child

By: Linda Moore | 22/12/2005 | Health
Primary Nocturnal Enuresis also known as bedwetting can be a very traumatic situation for children as well as their parents to handle on a daily basis. For the children, it can be embarrassing, for the parents, it's a frustrating issue that they may not

LASIK Eye Surgery What You Need to Know

By: Linda Moore | 22/12/2005 | Health
If you wear glasses or contact lenses, chances are you have thought or even looked into LASIK eye surgery. This surgery has taken the optical world by storm, it promises to let you leave your glasses or contacts in the past, or at least to lessen your de

Home Heating Choosing a New Furnace

By: Linda Moore | 22/12/2005 | Home & Family
As winter approaches, everyone begins to think about the furnace. Will in kick on? Will it last through another long, cold winter? Should we install a new furnace? If so, with what kind? If these questions are familiar to you, keep reading as we try

Duct Tape a Most Versatile Tool

By: Linda Moore | 21/12/2005 | Home & Family
Duct tape is perhaps the most versatile tool found in homes today. This popular tape was first made in 1942 for the military by Johnson and Johnson. The first purpose of duct tape was to keep ammunition cases free of moisture during WWII, and because of

Technical Schools Making the Right Choice for Your Future

By: Linda Moore | 21/12/2005 | Careers
In today's employment environment, it is more important than ever to be well schooled if you work or want to work in a technical field. It is not enough to have an interest, a desire or even a working knowledge of the vocation that you want to pursue. T

Paralegal How to Get Certified

By: Linda Moore | 21/12/2005 | Careers
In today's economy everyone is looking for a way to get the advantage over other job seekers, looking for a career that is almost recession proof. Fortunately, there is one profession that is never going to fade away, and that is lawyers. While the thou

Cosmetic Dentistry Know Your Options

By: Linda Moore | 21/12/2005 | Health
When you are thinking of having any type of cosmetic dentistry done, the first step is to find a qualified dentist, on that is a member of the AACD (American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry) this will help to ensure that he is well versed in all areas of co

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup


Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.26, 6)